"Corrupt will have to go to jail, this is Modi's guarantee...": PM Modi hits out at opposition in Bastar rally

Bastar (Chhattisgarh), April 08: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the opposition parties who have been alleging misuse of probe agencies against their leaders and said they may give any amount of threats but the "corrupt will have to go jail".

Addressing a public rally here, PM Modi also said that the Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha polls has an imprint of the Muslim League.

"For me, my India is my family. I am striving to save my country and my family from loot. I say remove corruption, they say, save the corrupt. No matter how many threats they give to Modi, the corrupt will have to go to jail. This is Modi's guarantee," he said.

"After independence, Congress thought that it had the license to loot the country but after coming to government in 2014, Modi has cancelled the loot license of Congress and Modi was able to cancel the license because you gave Modi the license. Now their shop has been closed, will they abuse Modi or not? So who will protect me? These crores of my countrymen, my mothers and sisters, have become my raksha kavach today," he added.

PM Modi also referred to Congress leader Charan Das Mahant's controversial remarks about him. "There is talk of hitting PM Modi on head...I am working to save the country from loot. They should know that Modi is a son of a poor who always walks with his head high," PM Modi said.

Chhattisgarh Police have filed an FIR has been lodged against Mahant for objectionable remarks against the Prime Minister.

PM Modi said Congress had rejected the invitation of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January and alleged that the opposition party took action against those who disagreed with the party leadership's decision.

"The royal family of Congress rejected the invitation of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir. Congress leaders, who called this step wrong, were expelled from the party... this shows that Congress can cross any limit for appeasement. The manifesto made by Congress also has the imprint of the Muslim League. Even today the Congress has nothing to do with the needs of the people of the country, it is the BJP government which is implementing every guarantee on the ground," he said.

Prime Minister Modi said that the country has seen a stable and strong government led by BJP.

"The biggest priority of our government is the welfare of the poor. After independence, Congress government ignored the needs of the poor for decades, the Congress never cared about the poor, did not even understand their problems," he said.

"During COVID, Modi provided free vaccines and provided free ration to poor people and this scheme has also been extended for the next five years," he added.

Polling for 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh will be held in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won nine seats and Congress two. Bastar will go the polls in the first phase of polling on April 19.