Simultaneously attacking the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik and the Congress-dominated UPA for failing to improve the lives of the people despite two successive mandates, Narendra Modi lashed out at Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid for denigrating the Supreme Court and the Election Commission on the eve of elections while in London, and said the Indian National Congress is an Institutions Neglecting Congress. Accusing his principal rival of destroying all constitutional institutions by a policy of “misuse, abuse, reduce (stature)”, the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate directly charged the Prime Minister, “You are responsible for this; two national institutions have been attacked abroad”.
Addressing the BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Samabesh Rally at Sambalpur on Friday, Narendra Modi said that India is the world’s largest democracy and nowhere in the world, free and fair elections conducted with such speed and results are counted and declared so fast as is done in our country. Even America cannot match this speed, and we should be proud of our Election Commission, he said, but the Foreign Minister goes abroad and abuses the Election Commission saying that “three people decide everything” and there is no appeal against their decisions.
The Gujarat Chief Minister was referring to Salman Khurshid’s speech at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on ‘Challenges of Democracy in India’ on March 12, where the latter alleged that the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct made it difficult for parties to win elections. Khurshid mocked the EC saying that it had directed political parties to ensure that their manifestos do not offer to build roads “because promise of building roads distorts democratic decision-making.” Salman Khurshid said that the Commission’s philosophy is that “you should do or say nothing that wins you an election… I cheekily said to them we try to lose our elections for five years; give us 15 days in which we can try and win them please”. Khurshid further said that some Supreme Court decisions on elections were “convoluted,” and intruded into the domain of the Parliament or the Government; the judgment disqualifying convicted lawmakers was “a judge-made law.”
Reacting to Salman Khurshid’s speech, Narendra Modi that Congress by denigrating national institutions was “looking for excuses for defeat, it is looking for scapegoats to blame”. The status of a nation’s judiciary impacted on the way foreigners view the country, he said, and foreign investors especially make decisions on the basis of the confidence they feel in a nation’s judiciary. We should feel proud of our institutions, he insisted, and not humiliate them before the world.
Reacting to Salman Khurshid’s speech, Narendra Modi said that the Congress by denigrating national institutions was “looking for excuses for defeat, it is looking for scapegoats to blame”. The status of a nation’s judiciary has an impact on the way foreigners view the country, he said, and foreign investors especially make decisions on the basis of the confidence they feel in a nation’s judiciary. We should feel proud of our institutions, he insisted, and not humiliate them before the world.
The world is rushing ahead, Narendra Modi told the gigantic crowd, and India must keep pace or it will be left behind completely. The 2014 general election, which in Odisha will be held concurrently with the Assembly election, is critical for this reason, he said, because the nation must vote for stability and progress. “Every vote will decide the fate of the nation, you are the bhagya vidhata” (makers of India’s destiny), he said, and exhorted the gathering to disregard the lies and false promises by political parties (Congress, Biju Janata Dal) and to elect a strong and stable government that can deliver good governance. “It is not enough to make Modi the Prime Minister”, he said, “give us a huge mandate; give us maximum seats from Odisha, so that we can serve you better. India does not need a Government for the sake of government, but a functional government”.
The world is rushing ahead, Narendra Modi told the gigantic crowd, and India must keep pace or it will be left behind completely. The 2014 general election, which in Odisha will be held concurrently with the Assembly election, is critical for this reason, he said, because the nation must vote for stability and progress. “Every vote will decide the fate of the nation, you are the bhagya vidhata” (makers of India’s destiny), he said, and exhorted the gathering to disregard the lies and false promises made by political parties (Congress, Biju Janata Dal) and requested to elect a strong and stable Government which can deliver good governance. “It is not enough to make Modi the Prime Minister”, he said, “give us a huge mandate; give us maximum seats from Odisha, so that we can serve you better. India does not need a Government just for the sake of it, but it needs a functional Government”.
The Adivasi community in Odisha is centuries old, he said, and lives a life of poverty in the jungles, and Congress has never done anything to ameliorate their condition. It was only the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who made an exclusive Ministry for Tribal Affairs, appointed a Minister to devote attention to tribal affairs, and created a separate budget for tribal welfare. If the Congress had had any concern for tribals, it would have made welfare schemes for them long ago. The critical issue for tribals is land, “zameen ka haq chahiye”, and in this regard the best work has been done by the BJP governments of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, which have huge tribal populations and have taken major strides in giving land rights to tribals.
The Adivasi community in Odisha is centuries old, he said, and lives a life of poverty in the jungles, and the Congress has never done anything to ameliorate their condition. It was only the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who made an exclusive Ministry for Tribal Affairs, and appointed a Minister to devote attention to tribal affairs, and created a separate budget for tribal welfare. If the Congress has had any concern for tribals, it would have made welfare schemes for them long ago. The critical issue for tribals is land “zameen ka haq chahiye”, and in this regard the best work has been done by the BJP Governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. These States have huge tribal population and have taken major strides in giving land rights to the tribals.
Lambasting the Odisha Chief Minister without naming him, Narendra Modi said he would not waste time on a man who has done nothing to ameliorate the condition of the people of his State despite winning such a handsome mandate. The Government at the Centre was similarly useless, he said, and the nation needs a Government that is decisive and has the guts to find solutions to problems. Today, all political parties have united to obstruct him (Modi) and have no time to devote to issues of price rise, employment for the youth, or the spiralling corruption, he said. Since they have no agenda, he concluded, the people should vote for the BJP in the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha, so that the future of the youth is ensured.
Lambasting the Odisha Chief Minister without naming him, Narendra Modi said that he would not waste time on a man who has done nothing to ameliorate the condition of the people of his State despite winning such a handsome mandate. The Government at the Centre was similarly useless, he said, and the nation needs a Government that is decisive and has the guts to find solutions to problems. Today, all political parties have united to stop him (Modi) and they have no time to devote to issues of price rise, employment for the youth, or the spiralling corruption, he said. Since they have no agenda, he concluded, the people should vote for the BJP in the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections, so that the future of the youth is ensured.
This election is not about the BJP forming the Government at the Centre, but the main purpose (maqsad) is to teach a lesson to those who have ruined the nation. Narendra Modi said that people can forgive honest mistakes but not those who deliberately mislead them. The Congress, he added, has become such an expert in telling lies and making false promises that now it has moved from throwing dust in people’s eyes (dhool jhoonkna) to throwing chili spray in Parliament (a reference to the unseemly episode during the passing of the Telangana Bill).
This election is not about the BJP forming the Government at the Centre, but the main purpose (maqsad) is to teach a lesson to those who have ruined the nation. Narendra Modi said that the people can forgive honest mistakes but not those which are deliberately made to mislead them. The Congress, he added, has become such an expert in telling lies and making false promises that now it has moved from throwing dust in people’s eyes (dhool jhoonkna) to throwing chili spray in the Parliament (a reference to the unseemly episode during the discussions on the Telangana Bill).
Sharply escalating his attack on the Congress on the very issues on which it hopes to garner votes, Narendra Modi recalled that when he visited Odisha for the 2009 elections, Congress had promised to bring prices down in 100 days. Instead, he pointed out, prices have spiralled out of control and there is a crisis of food in the homes of the poor; children go to bed hungry and their mothers cry themselves to sleep. It has taken the Congress 60 years to realise that each citizen has a stomach and feels the pangs of hunger, so it has made a law about the right to eat! “The more we tolerate such a party, they more we will suffer,” he thundered, and urged, “Give me your blessing and the strength to serve you and solve your problems by serving you; let me wipe your tears”.
Sharply escalating his attack on the Congress on the very issues on which it hopes to garner votes, Narendra Modi recalled that when he visited Odisha for the 2009 elections, the Congress had promised to bring prices down within 100 days. Instead, he pointed out, prices have spiralled out of control and there is a crisis of food in the homes of the poor, children go to bed hungry and their mothers cry themselves to sleep. It has taken the Congress 60 years to realise that each citizen has a stomach and they also feel the pangs of hunger, so it has made a law on the right to eat. “The more we tolerate such a party, the more we will suffer,” he thundered, and urged, “Give me your blessings and the strength to serve you and solve your problems, let me wipe your tears.”
The Government at the Centre, he raged as his audience listened with rapt attention, is so callous that it paid no heed to the prayers of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for help for the State’s farmers whose crops were ravaged in the recent hailstorm and rains. There was a State-wide bandh and the Chief Minister even sat on a dharna to draw attention to the plight of the farmers, but the Centre remained unmoved because the State had not voted for the Congress in the recent Assembly elections (of 2013). “Is the Madhya Pradesh kisan not our brother, is his plight not our concern, should he suffer because the State has a BJP Government”, Narendra Modi asked. The Chief Minister narrated their plight before the BJP Parliamentary Party Board recently, Narendra Modi said, pointing out that this was a natural calamity and “this is one country; all need justice and fair play; politics should not determine issues of relief in such tragedies”.
The Government at the Centre, he raged as his audience listened with rapt attention, is so callous that it has paid no heed to the prayers of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for help for the State’s farmers whose crops were ravaged in the recent hailstorm and rains. There was a State-wide bandh and the Chief Minister even sat on a dharna to draw attention to the plight of the farmers, but the Centre remained adamant because the State had not voted for the Congress in the recent Assembly election (2013). “Is a Madhya Pradesh kisaan not our brother, is his plight not our concern, should he suffer because the State has a BJP Government”, Narendra Modi asked. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had narrated their plight before the BJP Parliamentary Party Board recently, Narendra Modi said, pointing out that this was a natural calamity and “this is one country, all need justice and fair play, politics should not determine issues of relief in such tragedies”.
Appreciating the unique art and crafts of Odisha, especially the famous Sambalpur sari, Narendra Modi said these would have a great national and international market, but for the indifference of the State Government. The neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh, he pointed out, was once part of Madhya Pradesh and was known as a BIMARU state. But in the past ten years, the hard work and dedication of the two Chief Ministers has developed both parts into strong States, largely on account of the revolution in agriculture and the progress in giving farmers their due share in development. This can be done in Odisha also, he said; all that is needed is a sincere government.
Appreciating the unique art and crafts of Odisha, especially the famous Sambalpur sari, Narendra Modi said that these could have had a great national and international market, but nothing as such has happened because of the indifference of the State Government. The neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh, he pointed out, was once part of Madhya Pradesh and was known as a BIMARU State. But in the past ten years, the hard work and dedication of the two BJP Chief Ministers has developed both parts into strong States, largely on account of the revolution in agriculture and the progress made in giving farmers their due share in development. This can be done in Odisha also, he said, all that is needed is a sincere Government.
Narendra Modi concluded by recalling that the call for freedom in 1857 was on the twin symbols of “kamal aur roti” (lotus and food), and in 2014 the cry all over the country is “kamal aur Modi” (lotus and Modi) because people want an end to the nightmare of bad governance; they want su-rajya (good governance), the safety of daughters and mothers, water for the fertile soil, and all the tools of empowerment.
Paying tribute to Veer Surendra Sai for sacrificing his life for freedom from British rule even before the 1857 revolution, the Gujarat strongman expressed condolences for the deaths of 36 persons in a ferry accident on February 9, and assured the people that while political parties look for ways to win the elections, he looks for solutions to the myriad problems facing the country.
The meeting was attended by BJP leaders KD Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Arun Singh, Oraon, Sangeeta Singhdeo, Suresh Pujari, Subhash Chauhan, Pradeep Nayak, and others.
Narendra Modi concluded by recalling that the call for freedom in 1857 was on the twin symbols of “kamal aur roti” (lotus and food), and in 2014 the cry all over the country is “kamal aur Modi” (lotus and Modi) because people want an end to the bad governance. They want su-rajya (good governance), the safety of their daughters and mothers, water for the fertile soil, and all the tools of empowerment.
Narendra Modi paid tribute to Veer Surendra Sai who sacrificed his life for freedom from British rule even before the 1857 revolution. He also expressed condolences for the deaths of 36 persons in a ferry accident on February 9, and assured the people that while other political parties and leaders only look for ways to win the elections, he looks for solutions to the myriad problems facing the country.
The BJP leaders KD Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Arun Singh, Oraon, Sangeeta Singhdeo, Suresh Pujari, Subhash Chauhan and Pradeep Nayak among others were present at the rally.
Niticentral.com, 14 March 2014
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/03/14/odisha-deserves-better-modi-tells-sambalpur-200138.html