Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a speech where he criticized the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi for holding out hopes on victory in Wayanad and hence going for a backup constituency in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Modi said that he had predicted Gandhi's defeat in Wayanad and could predict his subsequent search for an alternative constituency. Gandhi supporters boasted earlier about Amethi as Gandhi's second battleground but Modi said that even Amethi seemed too much for Gandhi and he ran away to Rae Bareli, an "escape route".
Addressing a rally in Burdwan, West Bengal, Modi again repeated his Parliamentary statement that the Congress's star leader would dodge electoral contests, pointing to Gandhi's flight to Rajasthan and his entry into the Rajya Sabha earlier. Modi once again urged the opposition not to run away from electoral contests.
Modi further accused the Congress and its allies in the opposition INDIA group of openly supporting "vote-jihad" tactics through ongoing elections. He particularly criticized the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties for supporting such tactics tacitly.
Saying that the Congress harbours the intention of introducing religion-based reservations in India, he added that such quotas are unconstitutional. He challenged the Congress to formally disavow such intentions but said that they are silent.
Lastly, he said that the apparent reluctance of the Congress to back marginalized communities, especially SC, ST, and OBC groups, is because they were overwhelmingly supporting the BJP in recent elections.
Read also | Rahul Gandhi Shifts to Raebareli, K.L. Sharma Takes Amethi Helm in LS Polls
Read also | West Bengal Governor Prohibits Police and Finance Minister from Entering Raj Bhavan
