Congress will get extinct like dinosaurs: Rajnath Singh in Lakhimpur Kheri

Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Apr 25 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday slammed the Congress saying the way the party is going, it will soon get extinct like dinosaurs.

“The BJP is the only party which did what it promised to the people,” Singh said, while addressing an election rally here in support of party candidates (Union minister) Ajay Kumar Mishra from Kheri and Rekha Verma from Dhaurahra constituencies.

In his over half-an-hour long address, Singh highlighted how India has moved forward in terms of defence, internal security, economy and development since 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the reins of the country.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, the defence minister said days are near when these parties will become a thing of the past.

“The way Congress is going, it will get extinct like dinosaurs,” he remarked.

Reminding the people of the recent remark of Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairman Sam Pitroda about inheritance tax, he cautioned them saying that “no Indian will allow parting with 55% of his property after the death of the head of the family”.

Urging the people to vote the BJP government to power again, the Union minister said the BJP is the only party which acts on what it promises and mentioned some of the steps like the abrogation of Article 370, the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, banning instant triple talaq and legislating the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“Ram Lalla has now moved to his royal palace from the hutment indicating that Ram Rajya in India has started,” Singh stressed.

Criticising the earlier Congress governments for ignoring the security threat on the India-China border, he said, “The Congress governments refrained from road constructions on the China border fearing Chinese incursions… However, under the Modi government today, infrastructure on the border has been strengthened and the army is ready to give a befitting response in case of need.”

Lauding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Singh said, “I felt proud when I came to know that UP’s economy is fast-moving towards a one-trillion economy. Under the able leadership of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, law and order situation in the state has improved and its respect and stature has risen to new heights.”

Similarly, under the leadership of Modi, the country is heading towards new heights of development and prosperity, he said, adding, “Those who visited abroad earlier and then after Modi government came to power in 2014, will know how the status and reputation of India has progressed on the global front.”

“Today, when India says something, the whole world becomes attentive. This is the stature and reputation of India in the world today,” he stressed.

Attacking the main opposition party, he said, “The Congress accused the BJP of doing politics of Hindu-Muslim but they should know that five Islamic countries of the Arab world have conferred their highest civilian award upon PM Narendra Modi.”

Singh said the Congress governments failed to curb the terrorist activities and the then Congress home minister had dubbed even the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack as a small incident. The BJP government after coming to power in 2014 earned global repute in uprooting the terrorism in the country.

Singh, said he gives full respect to former prime ministers such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi as he believes that they were not persons but institutions.

However, he added, Nehru, Indira and later Rajiv Gandhi promised to abolish poverty from the country. But it is eight to nine years of the BJP government under Modi that 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty, he said.

Singh said since 2014, unlike in the past, India has become self-reliant in terms of production of military equipment and is even exporting them as it did the Brahmos missiles.

He debunked the allegations of the opposition about discriminating on religious basis and said all the government schemes including houses, toilets, kisan samman nidhi and free ration reached all without any discrimination.

Kheri and Dhaurahra will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13.