On the afternoon of 18th April, Shri Narendra Modi addressed massive rallies at Etawah and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and affirmed that the time had come to free the State from the misrule of the Samajwadi Party in State and the Congress at the Centre.
Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shri Modi said how ‘Netaji’ was unable to take a stand where required. He stated that the SP chief would go ‘mulayam’ (soft) when required to be tough, and vice-versa, and cited how during the recent riots, ‘Netaji’ had failed miserably in consoling the kin of those who had lost their lives.
Giving an example of the misplaced priorities of the SP and BSP Shri Modi said, “Some are busy in building Elephant Parks and some are on Lion Safari. Sadly, there is no one to worry about the people of UP.” He also recalled how UP had asked for lions from Gujarat, and added that he would have been more happy in giving the cows from Gir too, so that the suffering cattle-rearers of UP could benefit.
Talking further on the misgovernance of the State government, Shri Modi spoke of how, on one hand, sugarcane farmers in the State were distressed over inadequate payment for their produce, and on the other, poor people too had to carry guns for their safety. “Why are people having to starve but spend money to buy guns in UP? Why aren’t people protected here. Law & order must be maintained,” said Shri Modi, as he called for the need to tackle the rising crime rate in the State.
Shri Modi also criticized the Congress’ inability to empathize with the poor, and said that for them ‘poverty’ and the ‘homes of the poor’ was a source of tourism and an attempt at attention-grabbing. Shri Modi recalled his childhood days as a tea-seller and affirmed that he very well understood what living in poverty meant. He assured that working for the poor and marginalized sections of the society would be a key concern for the BJP, after it wins.
Citing the recent media reports exposing the IT raids conducted at a meat exporting company, Shri Modi spoke of how reports claimed that the dealings were a big Hawala racket, with the involvement of 4 Central government ministers and a leader close to 10 Janpath.
Shri Modi stated that the turnout of people in the ongoing Elections only affirmed of the Congress’ wipe out after the results. He said that the Nation had witnessed enough ruin in the past 60 years, and the coming generation was not ready to bear with this anymore. “Voting so far has established clearly that UPA is going to be history. I have seen the mood of the people across India. If you want a better life then change the Government in Delhi now and then in Lucknow,” said Shri Modi. He urged the people to send maximum Lotuses to Delhi and assured that the BJP would form a strong and effective government at the Centre.
Senior party leader Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi was present during the rally in Kanpur.
