Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stepped up his attack on the Congress, accusing the opposition party of treating tribals in the country as a “vote bank”.
Addressing an election rally in tribal-dominated Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, the prime minister claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party has always worked for the welfare of the community.
"The Congress always treated tribals as vote-bank, while the BJP worked for their welfare. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh will provide free education to girls from KG to PG and will open medical colleges in tribal districts," he said, reported ANI.
Voting to the 130-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly will take place on November 17 and the counting will be held on December 3.
In Jhabua, a constituency reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST), BJP’s Bhanu Bhuria will face Youth Congress president Vikrant Bhuria. Vikrant is the son of sitting MLA Kantilal Bhuria.
Modi, in his speech, alleged that the Congress leaders in the state were concerned only about their sons, but the BJP always cared for the children of tribals.
"The atmosphere that I am witnessing in Madhya Pradesh now, it is clear that the people will ensure that lotus will bloom, and the Congress is moving towards a big and shameful defeat," he said.
This was the prime minister’s last election rally in the state.
Training his guns further at the opposition party, Modi alleged that the Congress leaders used malnourished children to “decorate” their photographs.
"Congress leaders used to go to the huts of the poor and get their photographs clicked, showing their poverty and misery. And once their picture was taken, they would forget those poor people. Nana (maternal grandfather, referring to Pt Nehru) also did this drama, grandmother (Indira Gandhi) also did it and father (Rajiv Gandhi) also did it," he said.
Modi alleged the Congress was suffering from a "mental disease" of not seeing the country's achievements in different fields.
Referring to the BJP manifesto, he said the party had promised to provide free education to girls from KG to PG levels and open medical colleges in tribal blocks of Madhya Pradesh.
