Corruption, appeasement and dynasty key for Cong, says PM

The Congress has pulled Rajasthan off the track of progress because it is only interested in corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, adding that for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the uplift of ordinary people through development is a priority.

Modi was addressing a rally in Pali in poll-bound Rajasthan, where the BJP is hoping to trounce the Congress and come back to power. The PM said that Rajasthan had an important role in developing India and needed a government that gave priority to development. "Unfortunately, in the last five years, the Congress has pushed Rajasthan back in terms of development. Nothing is more important for the Congress government than corruption, dynasty and appeasement," he said.

He accused chief minister Ashok Gehlot of corruption, blamed Nitish Kumar for his controversial remarks in the Bihar assembly recently, and said crimes against women and Dalits were high in Rajasthan. He also said that petrol prices will be reviewed in Rajasthan if the BJP came to power. "Another example of Congress's loot is petrol prices. In BJPruled states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, petrol is sold for 97 per litre while in Rajasthan, it is 12-13 higher," he alleged.

In the 35-minute speech, Modi said the people of Rajasthan bore the brunt of Congress's appeasement politics for five years, with criminals and "anti-national elements" emboldened. "It is important to teach a lesson to the Congress which has such a depraved mentality," he said.

He alleged that the Congress and its allies want to destroy sanatana dharma. "Destroying sanatana means destroying the culture of Rajasthan," he said. Modi hit out at the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and Kumar.