Remarks on Constitution part of Congress conspiracy to capture vote bank: Modi

“Due to this thinking of the Congress, Article 370 continued for 70 years in J&K…and the country continued to burn in the fire of terrorism. The INDIA alliance is talking of bringing back Article 370. You tell me, will (you) allow Article 370 to be brought back?” he said.

During a corner meeting in South Goa Monday, Captain Viriato Fernandes, Congress candidate from South Goa constituency, while recalling a discussion with the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2019, had said, “We placed 12 demands before him (Rahul) and one of them concerned the demand for dual citizenship. He asked whether the demand was constitutional and when he was told it was not, he said the demand would not be considered if it is not constitutional. I explained to him that the Indian Constitution was implemented on January 26, 1950. (So), when Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961, the Constitution was imposed on us. When the Indian Constitution was framed and implemented, Goa was not part of India,” Fernandes had said.

Modi said the Congress wants to give reservation on the basis of religion. “Congress wants to take a part from the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to their vote bank. They have already started doing this in Karnataka,” he said.

PM Modi said the Congress plans to impose a 55% tax on wealth (inheritance). Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, he said, “Congress ke shehzade ki videsh yatraon ka raaz khul gya hai (the secret of foreign trips of shehzada of Congress has been revealed). He brought an X-ray machine from there. Publicly, he is saying that after forming the government, an X-ray will be done and with the X-ray machine, Congress will estimate your assets and distribute it among its voter base.”

“Imagine a fisherman here has two boats and towards the end of his life, he wants to give those boats to his son…he would not be able to do so. Congress is bringing such a law that one boat would be seized by the government… Aur aap jaante hai na Congress ka pasandida vote bank kaun hai? (and you know who is Congress’ favourite vote bank),” he said.

Appealing to the people of Goa to “defeat all anti-national forces” by voting for the BJP, Modi attacked the Congress for trying to create “distrust in democracy by questioning the use of EVMs”.

“They lied so much about EVMs. (When they) lost the election or were set to lose an election, they blamed EVMs. They tried hard to ensure that citizens of the country lose faith in EVMs and made attempts to create distrust against India’s democracy, but the Supreme Court has said it clearly that EVM is right… that election conducted through EVM is right (fair)… through the use of EVMs, India’s democracy has strengthened. Should Congress not apologise for spreading this lie?” he said.

Meanwhile, in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, Modi targeted the INDIA bloc over corruption and its policy of “appeasement”, and said that the opposition has chalked out a plan of having “five PMs in five years if it is voted to power and then make money”. He also said the INDIA bloc was planning to “change” the Constitution if it came to power and ensure religion-based reservation.

“They (INDIA bloc) cannot even reach three-digit figures but are already planning to have one PM every year. The Congress in Karnataka has put in place a rotational plan for chief ministership. There will be a CM every 2.5 years,” he said. “Kolhapur is the football hub of Maharashtra. If I use football terminology, then NDA is ahead 2-0 after the two phases of elections. The message is clear: Fir Ek Bar, Modi Sarkar. The Congress-led INDIA bloc has inflicted two self-goals, owing to their politics of hate,” he said.