SP, Congress playing a game, Mayawati understands it: PM

TNS & Agencies

Advertisement

Basti (UP)/Patna, May 4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party of going soft on the Congress, saying the two parties are playing a “big game” against Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

Addressing rallies in Pratapgarh and Basti, Modi said the SP-BSP alliance partners would be at each other’s throats when the results are out on May 23.

He said while Mayawati was openly targeting the Congress and its policies, a Congress leader is sharing the stage with the SP.

The apparent reference was to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s presence at an SP meeting in Rae Bareli on Thursday.

“The SP is going soft on the Congress, but its alliance partner BSP chief Mayawati is attacking the Congress,” Modi said in Pratapgarh.

He claimed the SP had derived advantage out of the alliance, talking about “respect” towards her.

“It was said you (Mayawati) will be made the prime minister, but now `Behenji’ has understood that the SP and the Congress are playing a big game with her,” he said.

Accusing the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi of harping on the acquisition of Rafale aircraft only to tarnish his image, Modi took a swipe at former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

“Your father was termed ‘Mr Clean’ by his courtiers, but his life ended as ‘Bhrashtachari No 1’ (corrupt number 1),” Modi said. He claimed that the Congress chief had admitted in an interview that his only aim is to tarnish Modi’s image.

In Bihar’s Valmiki Nagar, Modi said the Opposition was attacking the Election Commission of India, EVMs and him as they can see the writing on the wall after the four phases of elections.

“They began with hurling abuses at Modi. When they realized it was not paying, they started complaining about EVMs. After four phases of elections, they have become flustered and started pointing fingers at the Election Commission,” Modi said.

Speaking in the presence of alliance partners — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan who head the JD(U) and the LJP respectively — Modi also took a veiled dig at the proposed NYAY scheme of the Congress, saying they could not help the poor in getting their accounts opened in banks and now they have suddenly begun to promise direct cash transfer. Beware of their misleading promises.

‘For them, people are just numbers’

The SP, BSP and Congress are the biggest example of how principles are trampled upon for power. They are so affected by the bad habit of getting their vote bank arithmetic right that they consider people just numbers. — Narendra Modi, Prime minister