Adityanath: No nationalist will support Cong after reading its manifest

Yogi Adityanath

Motihari (Bihar): Coming down heavily on the Congress for its promises to amend AFSPA and quash the sedition law, if voted to power, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Sunday said the "hand symbol of the grand old party denotes that it was hand-in-glove with traitors".

Addressing a rally in Sheohar Lok Sabha constituency near here, Adityanath claimed that "no nationalist or dignified person" would support the Congress or its allies having gone through its Lok Sabha poll manifesto. "I was shocked to see the Congress manifesto. It said that the party will do away with the sedition law and amend Afspa, the law which gives special power to the army in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast states. It seems 'Congress ka hath hai deshdrohiyon ke sath' (Cong has extended its hand to the traitors of this country)," he insisted.

Referring to IAF air strike in Balakot, Adityanath said that the Indian Army always had the courage and valour to carry out such attacks, but the "erstwhile governments lacked resolve and willpower to make powerful decisions". "The Narendra Modi government showed its determination to eliminate terrorists and allowed forces to carry out air strikes inside Pakistan.

Terrorists are now fleeing their hideouts," he said, adding that "both terrorism and naxalism would be completely wiped out from the country after Modi becomes the PM for another term." When it comes to the prime minister's post, the BJP and its allies have unanimously chosen Modi as their leader, while the Congress, RJD and its allies are still struggling with their choice for the top post, their policies and intentions, the senior saffron party leader said.

"It seems they (opposition parties) just want to create political instability in the country and hamper the momentum of growth generated by the Modi government," the Uttar Pradesh CM, who had recently stirred a controversy by referring to Indian Army as 'Modiji ka sena', said. Enumerating the welfare schemes introduced by the NDA government, he asserted that Modi has lived up to the BJP's age-old slogan of 'development of all, appeasement to none' by doling out benefits without discrimination.

Claiming that the Congress policies were biased and prejudiced, Adityanath noted, "Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who headed the UPA government from 2004 to 2014, had said that Muslims have the first right on nation's resources. The fact remains that all 130 crore people in the country have equal rights on the resources."

The senior BJP leader also praised NDA candidate and sitting MP Rama Devi for her "initiatives to usher in development" in the constituency and appealed to the people to associate themselves with "Fir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar" slogan. Maintaining that Bihar and Uttar Pradesh share a special bond, he said, "We started work on the four-lane Ram-Janki Marg, connecting Ayodhya with Sitamarhi. Once the project is complete, people of Sitamarhi will be able reach Ayodhya in three to three-and-half hours."

The Uttar Pradesh CM, who was barred from campaigning for 72 hours earlier this month for his provocative remarks, addressed three more election rallies in Bihar Sunday - at West Champaran, Madhubani and Maharjganj constituencies