Cries of help are of those seeking freedom from tyranny: Rahul on Modi's 'bachao' jibe
New Delhi, Jan 20: Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday over his "bachao, bachao" swipe at the Opposition, saying the cries of help were of people "begging" to be freed from "your tyranny and incompetence".
Gandhi's attack came a day after Modi, taking a dig at the Opposition rally organised by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, said the BJP had only one MLA in West Bengal, "but still they are so afraid of us, because we follow the path of truth, that they have gathered parties from across the country and are crying 'bachao, bachao, bachao' (save us)".
"Your Highness, The cries for help are the cries of millions of unemployed youth; of farmers in distress; of oppressed Dalits & Adivasis; of persecuted minorities; of small businessmen in ruin; begging to be freed from your tyranny & incompetence. In 100 days they will be free," Gandhi said in a tweet.
Unfazed by the Opposition's show of unity in Kolkata on Saturday, Modi dismissed it on Sunday as an alliance of corruption, negativity and instability, saying while those parties had "money power", the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had "people's power".
"The Opposition has 'dhanshakti' (money power), we have 'janshakti' (people's power)," he said, addressing the BJP's booth-level workers from the Lok Sabha constituencies of Kolhapur, Hatkanangle, Madha and Satara in Maharashtra and South Goa through video-conference.
Reacting to the prime minister's remarks, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a "thug bandhan" and said the ruling coalition would be rejected by the people of the country in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
On Modi's scathing criticism of the opposition parties, she alleged that the person saying all this was involved in corruption and that dynasty politics was being promoted in his own party.
Modi also said the Opposition was staring at defeat in the forthcoming general election and was looking for excuses ahead of their impending loss and thus, was vilifying EVMs.
Chaturvedi told reporters that questions were raised over electronic voting machines (EVMs) earlier as well.
During the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, EVMs were found in buses and in Rajasthan, they were found on the road and in hotel rooms, she pointed out.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
