Big and powerful people in India, abroad joined hands to remove me from power: Modi

Chikkaballapura/Bengaluru Apr 20 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said big and powerful people in India and abroad have joined hands to remove him from power. Addressing a mega public meeting in Chikkaballapura, near here, he said, “Mothers and sisters have come in a large number here. Your struggle and the challenges you face to nurture your family, Modi has seen this in his house. These days, big and powerful people in the country and abroad have united to remove Modi.”

“But, because of Nari Shakti and Maatru Shakti’s blessings and Suraksha kavach (safety armour), Modi is able to move on fighting challenges.”

“Serving mothers, sisters and daughters and protecting them is Modi’s priority,” he said, listing out measures taken by his government for women’s welfare in ten years like supporting their self help groups and creating ‘Lakhpati Didis’. The prime minister said the first phase of voting for Lok Sabha on Friday has gone in favour of NDA and ‘Viksit Bharat’.

Targeting the INDIA bloc, he said the opposition alliance doesn’t have a leader at present, and has no vision for future, and “their history was of scams.” Praising JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda who shared the stage with him, for his energy and commitment at the age of 90, Modi said he too draws inspiration from him. “His (Gowda) commitment towards Karnataka, the pain in his heart for the plight of Karnataka today and the ‘josh’ in his voice, is the testimony for Karnataka’s bright future,” he said, as he thanked Gowda for his “blessings”. The JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year. Earlier, in his speech, Gowda hit out at Congress, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over a sarcasm-laced newspaper advertisement campaign alleging that the Modi government’s gift to Karnataka was empty ‘Chombu’ (a small, round water container).

Pointing at scams like 2G and coal gate during UPA rule under Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, he said, “After looting the resources of the state and the country during the Congress regime, Modi was given the empty ‘Chombu’, which the prime minister has turned into ‘Akshaya Patre’ in ten years.”

Modi, later addressing a public rally in Bengaluru, said in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, people gave a record number of seats to the BJP, which has made the country strong. India was earlier considered among “fragile five”, but today every country in the world wants to strengthen friendship with India and investors want to invest in the country. India today is among the world’s top five economies, he said. India today is not the one that follows, but has become the “first mover”. “This has happened in just ten years.”

In this election, INDIA bloc leaders are going around with an “old tape recorder,” while Modi and his friends are seeking blessings once again with the track record, the prime minister said. The Congress and INDI Alliance’s focus during the campaign is Modi, his parivaar, and false allegations about the prime minister, while Modi’s focus is on India’s development in the 21st century, its prosperity and its global image.

The NDA government is doing record investment in social, physical and digital infrastructure, the prime minister said. Modi said the Karnataka Congress government’s only focus is corruption. Bengaluru’s founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda had dreamt of a magnificent city, but the Congress government in very less time, has ruined the situation here. Congress has changed tech city into tanker city, and has left it to the water mafia, he said. Whether it is agriculture or urban infrastructure, the budget is being cut in every sector in Karnataka, he said, adding, Congress’ focus is only on corruption, but not on the issues faced by people of Bengaluru. “Only Central government projects are going at a fast pace in Karnataka,” Modi said. Karnataka is going to the polls in two phases. While 14 Lok Sabha segments in the southern parts of the state will vote on April 26, the remaining 14 constituencies in the northern parts will vote in the second phase on May 7.