Congress changed its Vadodara candidate because he is a Dalit: Narendra Modi

Modi said that Rahul Gandhi’s “brainchild (primaries) died prematurely”. “This incident of pressuring a Dalit candidate to give up his ticket he secured by fighting it out in the party primaries is proof that the Congress does not believe in democracy. I want to ask whether being a Dalit has become a crime. Shehzade ko Dalit ke saath hue atyachaar ka jawaab dena hoga,” Modi said, addressing a rally for all seven candidates of the BJP in Delhi.

Modi expressed shock at the living standard of people in Delhi’s trans-Yamuna region. “I wonder whether humans can dwell here,” Modi said, blaming the Congress for not giving them basic facilities.

Launching a direct attack on Arvind Kejriwal, Modi warned Delhi voters not to repeat the same mistakes they committed in the Delhi Assembly elections. “First, they abuse the Congress and then they form the government with their help. Then, they resign so that they can carry on with their tours in the country. They have given a backdoor entry to the Congress to govern the city, whose voters have rejected the Congress. Now, through the L-G, the Congress is ruling the national capital,” Modi said.

Modi blamed the AAP for using night shelters for political gains. “Where are they now? They took cameras with them to night shelters to show the poor state of the infrastructure for the homeless. Why are they not attended to now?” he said.

“For many years, we gained experience by performing the role of the Opposition, unlike the AAP which is politically immature… I want Delhi voters to recognise the Congress, which is trying to mislead them by donning various masks. Beware of its B-team and make all our seven candidates win this time,” Modi said to an enthusiastic crowd.

Modi recalled the December 16 gangrape case to drive home the lack of women’s safety in Delhi. “It is a shame that women are not safe in the national capital. Congress government created a fund to secure women. Not even a single penny from the fund has been utilised,” he said. Targeting the Congress for playing minority politics, he blamed it for doing nothing for Muslims.

Trashing the Congress manifesto which was released on Wednesday, Modi said the Congress has made it a tool to mock people. “…Look at their manifestos. All are same — be it manifesto of 2004, 2009 or 2014. This manifesto is a bundle of lies,” he said.