PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at Congress over a remark by its Goa candidate that the Constitution was imposed on the coastal State, and said it was a “ploy” to break the country. Speaking at an election rally in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district, Modi said Congress, which ‘divides the country in the name of religion,’ has been indulging in appeasement since day one after Independence. “Congress is not able to digest the participation of Dalits, Adivasis and backward classes in power. Now the party has started a big game. Earlier a Congress MP from Karnataka said south India should be declared a separate country, now a Congress candidate from Goa said the Indian Constitution is not applicable in Goa,” he said.

 

“He is saying the Constitution was forced on Goa. He has told this to ‘shehzade’ (apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi)... Isn’t this an insult to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar? Isn’t this an insult to the Constitution? Is this not tampering with the Constitution of India?” the Prime Minister asked. “People of Jammu and Kashmir also used to say... You gave blessings (to BJP), now their mouths are shut. Now the Constitution of India is in force there (after the abrogation of Article 370),” he said. The Congress candidate (in Goa) made this statement publicly and said he told his leader about it, which means his leader has given a tacit consent to it, Modi said, in apparent swipe at Rahul Gandhi. “It is a ploy to break the country. A huge part of the country has rejected Congress, and therefore the party wants to create such small islands,” he claimed. The Prime Minister was referring to Congress candidate from South Goa, Viriato Fernandes, who said on Monday that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said that Goa will decide its own destiny after it was liberated from Portuguese rule, but “this did not happen”, and the Indian Constitution was “forced” on the State. Modi further said that today Congress was rejecting the Constitution in Goa, and tomorrow it would do the sin of doing the same in the entire country.

 

The Opposition party neither has a vision for the country, nor does it know “the ABCD” of welfare of the poor, he said. The PM also countered Congress’ allegation that the BJP was planning to change the Constitution if voted to power for a third term, saying, “Leave aside Modi and BJP, even Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar himself can not abolish the Constitution.” “Appeasement and vote-bank politics are in the DNA of Congress. For appeasement, they will not wait for a second to snatch rights of adivasis, Dalits and backwards,” he said. BJP works on the mantra of ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas’. Our priority is welfare of the poor, women, youth and farmers. Congress gave slogans of ‘garibi hatao’ (remove poverty) for 60 years and kept on filling coffers of its leaders. Modi did not give any ‘nara’ (slogan), rather he established ‘nata’ (relation). In the last 10 years, 25 crore poor were brought out of poverty, he added. For ‘garib kalyan’ (poor’s welfare), ‘neeti’ (policy) should be right and more than that ‘niyat’ (intention) should be right. When the intention is good, then the outcome also turns good,” he added. Modi said, everyone thought Ram temple at Ayodhya will never be built but BJP ensured it was built. “...The country had lost hope that the Ram temple will be built. Everyone thought that this matter had ended. But the work of fulfilling this hope was done by those belonging to lotus (BJP symbol). Congress leaders used to taunt us in every election and asked about the date of construction of Ram temple.

 

We told them the date, time and even invited them to the consecration of Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya). But Congress is so arrogant that it considers itself to be bigger than Lord Ram . They rejected the invitation,” he said. Isn’t this an insult of our saints? Isn’t this an insult of Shabri? Chhattisgarh is ‘nanihal’ (birth place of Lord Ram maternal grandparents) of lord Ram and place of Mata Shabri. Congress has insulted Chhattisgarh by skipping Ram temple consecration ceremony, he said. When a tribal woman became our country’s President, Congress insulted her, the PM said. “During the BJP-led Centre, the son of a Dalit family became President (Ramnath Kovind). Congress opposed that. Then we decided to make first tribal President of the country. Congress also opposed her and insulted her,” he said. On Modi’s efforts for serving people, Congress says it will break Modi’s head, the prime minister said. Nobody can harm Modi as millions of mothers and countrymen are Modi’s protective shield, he added.

 

Extending his gratitude to people of Chhattisgarh for electing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in last year’s Assembly elections, the PM said, “You (people) showered your blessings on every member of the party in the assembly elections. Now I have come again to seek your blessing for a third term for the BJP-led regime at the Centre.” In the last 10 years, the country has come far ahead, but there is a lot left to be done, he said. He urged people to take time out for polling and support BJP. “You should remember the vote given to the INDI alliance cannot help form the government at the Centre. Your vote for BJP and NDA will make India a developed country,” he added.