Udhampur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in Udhampur district, Friday, April 12, 2024.(IANS)
Jaipur, April 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated on Friday that the Consitution is like a holy scripture for every Indian that will never be harmed, as he accused the Congress of spreading lies in the name of the Constitution only to abuse him.
Addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Barmer, PM Modi said, “No one can change or harm the Constitution. The Constitution is like Bhagavad Gita, Quran, Ramayan, or Bible for the people of the country, which can never be harmed.”
Attacking the Congress for its claims that the BJP will 'tinker' with the Constitution if it returns to power at the Centre for a third term, the Prime Minister said when the Congress was in power, it opposed the decision to celebrate Constitution Day.
“It was an insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Congress is spreading lies in the name of the Constitution only to abuse me,” PM Modi said.
He also said the Congress is back at playing its old tricks as the elections are near by lying about changing the Constitution in BJP's third term.
“The Congress did not accord Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar. The party made him lose the elections, and now it is lying in the name of the Constitution to abuse Modi,” he said.
He also said the Congress' mindset is against the development of the bordering villages.
“The border areas were deprived of development during the Congress rule. But our priority is the development of the bordering villages,” PM Modi said.
He also accused the Congress of delaying the Barmer refinery work, saying it would have been inaugurated by now had the Congress not been in power.
“I would have inaugurated the Barmer Refinery during my second tenure had the Congress government not been in power in Rajasthan. However, I now guarantee that I will come here to inaugurate the refinery in my third tenure, which will open up employment opportunities for a large number of people,” he said.
Comparing Barmer with Kutch in Gujarat, the Prime Minister said, “Kutch had similar conditions. However, we worked hard there. Today, land rates in Mumbai are equal to the rates in Kutch. We will now work hard the way we did in Kutch to develop Barmer."
He also said that Barmer would have had an airport by now had there been no Congress government in the state.
Taking a dig at Congress' election manifesto, the Prime Minister said, “Their manifesto reflects an imprint of the Muslim League. It says they will destroy India's nuclear weapons. Can a country like India, whose neighbours on both sides are armed with nuclear weapons, survive without them?
"For whom the Congress is working? Do they want to make India powerless? Under whose pressure does this alliance want to destroy our nuclear weapons? I am trying to make India powerful, but the INDI alliance only wants to weaken the country,” PM Modi said.
Stating that the entire India is saying '4 June, 400 Paar' and 'Phir Ek Bar, Modi Sarkar', the Prime Minister said that Barmer is the constituency of late BJP leader Jaswant Singh where people always told him to teach a lesson to India's enemies, and that is why ensuring the party's victory in Barmer is his responsibility.
PM Modi also said that the Congress ruled for more than six decades, yet it couldn't resolve a single issue comprehensively.
“Rajasthan has sacrificed a lot for India, but the Congress deprived the state of water for decades. Our government will prioritise drinking water through the Jal Jeevan Mission,” PM Modi said.
He also said the BJP worships 'Shakti' but the 'Shehzada' (Rahul Gandhi) of the Congress wanted to destroy it by opposing the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple (in Ayodhya) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“It shows the Congress' tendency to disrespect India's vibrant culture,” PM Modi said.