Assembly election results: Haryana, J&K mandates to echo across nation, says PM Modi
PM Modi was addressing the victory celebrations held at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi
by The Hindu Bureau · The HinduPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (October 8, 2024) thanked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers for helping the party post an unprecedented hat-trick in the Haryana Assembly election and its best ever performance in Jammu & Kashmir, where it emerged as the biggest party in terms of vote shares, stating that the mandate would “echo across the country”.
He was addressing the victory celebrations held at the BJP’s national headquarters. His speech, while acknowledging the work of BJP leaders and workers in ensuring victory in Haryana and good performance in J&K, was also a sharp attack on the Congress party which he termed a party that was spreading caste poison and an anti-national agenda and being part of an international conspiracy to undermine Indian democracy, and the independence and integrity of its national institutions.
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Heavily referencing some of the points raised by the Opposition during the Lok Sabha election, namely accusing the BJP of planning to subvert the Constitution and end reservations, Mr. Modi said through this mandate, people had exposed such allegations and appreciated the BJP’s dedication towards overall development of Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis.
“Those born with golden spoons for generations when out of power behave like fish out of water,” he said, adding that after coming into government, the Congress did not hesitate to put the country and society at stake. “Today the whole country is watching how Congress has come out to spread the poison of caste in our society. Our Dalit, backward, and tribal communities should not forget that it is the Congress which has tortured them the most. It is the Congress which deprived them of food, water, and house for so many decades,” he said.
Referring to a purported statement of Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi given recently in the United States, Mr. Modi said, “This royal family of Congress even said that they will end the reservation. The Congress wanted to snatch reservation from Dalits and backward classes and give it to their vote bank. It was going to do the same in Haryana as well.”
He accused the Congress leadership of fomenting divisions in society and spreading caste poison. “The voters of Haryana have seen through these efforts,” he added. He said in J&K the peaceful conduct of free and fair polls after seven decades, with franchise being exercised by sections of society there which were deprived of it till now, were the full restoration of the Constitution of India and democracy in the Union Territory, a “fitting tribute” to Constitution framer Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. This was again in a pointed reference to the Opposition’s campaign in Lok Sabha election that the BJP was attempting to subvert the Constitution by seeking 400 seats.
“I have said this earlier and repeat it now that there are four categories for which my government and the BJP works, that is women, youth, farmers, and the poor. We will continue to work for these sections for viksit Bharat (developed India) and making India the third largest economy in the world,” Mr. Modi said.
Stating that the Congress had come a cropper in a direct fight with the BJP in Haryana and was part of a winning alliance in J&K due to its partner National Conference, he described the Congress as a “parjeevi (parasitic entity)” which was feeding off the support base of its allies with little to show for itself.
On the impact of Assembly election results
The unprecedented hat-trick that the BJP pulled off in Haryana, Prime Minister Modi said, reflected also on the fact that it has been rare for the Congress to ever be voted back to power after once having been voted in. “Whereas the BJP, in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, has been repeatedly voted back, as people have reposed faith in the BJP’s agenda of development and corruption free governance,” he said.
In response to the Congress’s press conference on Tuesday, where they raised concerns on the speed of counting in Haryana, Mr. Modi accused the main Opposition of questioning the independence of national institutions like the Election Commission.
Published - October 08, 2024 10:55 pm IST