Choice between Majboor & Majboot Govt: Modi

Team Herald

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Modi on Saturday blasted the Opposition parties to forge an alliance "against one individual (himself)" and asserted that they want to install a "majboor sarkar" (weak, helpless government) to indulge in scams and corruption even in waiver of farmers' loans as against a "majboot" (strong) government that strengthens the nation.

He cited a recent CBI special court judgment in Mumbai in the Sohrabuddin encounter case to assert that the previous Congress-led UPA government tried its best to usurp false cases to put him in jail when he was the Gujarat chief minister and even succeeded to put BJP President Amit Shah in jail for a while.

In an 80-minute long valedictory address to the BJP national council at the Ramlila Grounds here, he said the nation has to make the choice alike choosing a servant at home who doesn't make family members quarrel, who doesn't steal and distribute booty to relatives and who doesn't go on 2-3 months of leave.

The nation has to decide about the "Pradhan Sevak" as the Prime Minister calls himself like him who is honest, works for 18 hours a day without any holiday, unites all and pulled the nation out of darkness by restoring self-confidence among the people, he said.

He said his government is doing honest efforts but he would not claim it has removed all shortcomings, asking "why should Modi be there if everything achieved?" He was only trying to give "speed" to everything to provide better life, houses, electricity and other amenities.

Modi also reminded the BJP leaders  to chalk out the 2019 Lok Sabha poll strategy about the politics of obstacles played by the Congress to prevent the country's progress. He asked them to target the Congress for even putting obstacles in an early SC judgment on Ayodhya.

 temple through its lawyers and tried to get removed the previous Chief Justice of India not prepared to delay the hearing.

He said he can cite the Congress obstacles on any number of steps, against the Enemy Properties Act, against a constitutional commission for OBCs, against the Citizenship amendment Bill, against the national register in Assam, against Aadhaar and pointed out that the Congress insulted all institutions, be it the Election Commission, RBI or the judiciary.

His attack was on the Congress on score of issues and attacked the parties trying to rally behind it while indirectly hitting at the BJP-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh announced on Saturday that dominated the discourse in the BJP's national convention on a political resolution piloted by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

While Gadkari and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had a dig at the alliance, PM Modi remained focused to attacking the Congress on every issue it has raised against him and his government in the past few months.

He even asserted that his government is the first not to have a single charge of corruption as he treats even the Congress claims on the Rafale deal as nothing but a confusion.

Modi gave credit to a BJP MP explaining the Rafale deal in the simple language of a farmer that an empty sack (bora) sells in Rs 15 to Rs 20 but the same sack filled with wheat or rice sells in Rs 1500-2,000. But if one (Rahul Gandhi) doesn't want to understand such a simple fact, no one can make him understand. (His reference was to Rahul repeatedly questioning why the Rafale price given by Modi was three times the price agreed by the previous UPA government.

Referring to British middleman Christian Michael brought to India to face trial in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, Modi the latest media reports say he was also involved in attempts to scuttle the Rafale deal in favour of another manufacturer. No wonder, so many lawyers were engaged to defend him. 

"Whatsoever you may keep speaking on Rafale, this Chowkidar is not going to stop. It's only the beginning," Modi said.

Right at the start of his lengthy address, he referred to a Constitution bill passed to provide 10% reservation in education and government jobs to the economically weaker sections in the general category as did BJP President Shah on Friday. He wanted debate in the society on this measure.

Modi said it is to end the indiscrimination faced by the poor who have no reservation as it is only way to provide opportunities to the poor. "Ten% quota given to economically backward classes is to meet the expectations of youths who were not getting opportunities due to poverty. This will enhance confidence of 'New India'," he said while stressing that this has been done "without encroaching upon the rights of any section of the society."