For the past weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been touring the poll-bound states to set the tone for the upcoming assembly elections.
As the Opposition alliance INDIA pitched for a nationwide caste census, Modi slammed it as being divisive and accused the Congress party of being in league with anti-national elements. He also countered Rahul Gandhi's narrative of communities having a share of resources as per population.
The year 2023 has been a crucial year with eight assembly elections. Of them, the Congress party has already won the Karnataka elections. The Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in addition to Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Telangana are going to polls next month.
While the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule on Monday, Modi has been touring these states for weeks.
In Rajasthan, Modi has been targeting the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government for rising crimes against women, question-paper leaks, and alleged corruption.
In Madhya Pradesh, Modi has hailed the welfare schemes of his government and has sought to project the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as key to the people's upliftment. The state has had the special focus of the BJP as it fielded a bunch of Union ministers in the state and there is speculation that there might be a change of guard in the state where Shivraj Singh Chouhan is in his fourth chief ministerial term.
In Telangana, Modi said that South India would be adversely affected by the Congress party's demand for a share of resources as per the community's population. He said that if that were to be the case, the South could lose up to 100 seats in the Lok Sabha as North India would get more seats because of a much higher population.
Modi's charge on caste census
In a rally in Chhattisgarh, Modi slammed the demand for a caste census by the Opposition. He said that it was their attempt to divide the Hindus in the name of caste.
Modi also slammed the demand raised by Rahul Gandhi that the communities should have resources as per their share in the population.
If that were to be the case, said Modi, the Hindus being in the majority would have the highest share and that would mean that the Congress would deprive the minorities of the country of their fair share in the country's resources. Instead of any one community, the poor of the country should have the biggest share, said Modi.
"Since yesterday, the Congress started creating a narrative. They say, ‘Jitni Abadi Utna Haq’. I say that if there is any largest population in the country, it’s of the poor and hence for me the poor are the biggest population, and the welfare of the poor is my aim," said Modi last week, as per Hindustan Times.
He further said, "What would the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh be thinking? Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh used to say that the minorities have the first right on the resources of the country and that too the Muslims, but now the Congress is saying that the population will decide who will have the first right. Does Congress now want to reduce the rights of the minorities?...For me, the poor in this country are the biggest caste. If the poor are looked after well, the country will automatically be well."
In Telangana too, Modi slammed the Congress party's demand and invoked the North-South population divide.
Modi said that if the Congress party's plan of having resources as per your share in population succeeds, then the South India would lose around 100 Lok Sabha seats as the North India has a much higher population.
"The southern states have achieved remarkable progress in population control, but will stand to lose heavily if the Congress’s new idea of rights in proportion to population is implemented…South India stands to lose 100 Lok Sabha seats [in next delimitation as per Congress plan]… Will South India accept this? Will South India forgive the Congress? I want to tell Congress leaders not to fool the nation. Make it clear why they are playing this game," said Modi, as per Financial Express.
Modi targets Congress on law and order, corruption
Besides the familiar lines of nepotism, Modi has also targeted the Congress party lately on the law and order situation in Rajasthan.
In recent rallies in Rajasthan, Modi has raised the issue of crimes against women, particularly Dalit women, and has linked it with the broader issue of law and order. He has also raised the issue of communal violence and murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur too to target the Gehlot government in Rajasthan.
"The Congress government was worried about the vote bank in this [Udaipur murder] too. What image of the brave land of Rajasthan has Congress presented to the world? It is not possible to celebrate any Teej or other festival peacefully in Rajasthan. No one knows when riots will break out or when curfew will be imposed," said Modi in a rally in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.
He further said, "Here in Barmer, a Dalit woman was raped and acid poured on her. In Suratgarh, a woman was murdered and her body thrown on the road. After gang rape in Bhilwara, a girl was burnt in a furnace. And in Jamwa Ramgarh, a woman was burnt alive...Be it a rioter or a criminal, only the BJP government can correct them, this is our track record…That is why today mothers, sisters and daughters of Rajasthan are saying that they are confident that the BJP will come and bring women security."
Slamming the Rajasthan government for leakage of question papers for recruitment exams, Modi said "peak leak mafia ruined future of lakhs of Rajasthan youth".
Modi also raised the issue of 'red diary' in Rajasthan which purportedly recorded illicit transactions related to Gehlot. In a rally in Jodhpur, Modi said that the diary contains "every black act of corruption by the Congress" and to expose it, the BJP government will have to be formed in the state, as per PTI.
Modi hails welfare policies, targets Congress-'anti national' nexus
Besides hailing the welfare policies of his government, such as the affordable cooking gas, promotion of coarse grains, and construction of infrastructure projects, Modi has also accused the Congress party of being in league with "anti-national" elements.
In the past many months, as Rahul Gandhi has toured abroad and has interacted with elements who have been critical of India and Modi, the BJP and Modi have accused the Congress party of seeking support from such elements for domestic electoral purposes. It has also frequently mentioned the controversial Western billionaire George Soros in this alleged nexus of Congress.
"I have been saying this for a long time and I am repeating again that the Congress party is no longer being run by the Congress people, Congress people are not running the Congress party, the big leaders of the Congress are not saying anything. Their opinion is not asked, nor do they dare to speak even after seeing all this...Now the Congress has been outsourced. Congress is now being run by people behind the scenes, people who are playing such games and who are in collusion with anti-national forces. Congress is trying to divide the Hindus of the country and destroy this nation," said Modi in a rally, as per Hindustan Times.
