“When they do not have answers, they hide under the bunker of secularism to save their skin,” BJP Prime Minister candidate Narendra Modimocked the Congress to a rapturous applause here on Monday evening.

Flays Rahul He took a jibe at Rahul Gandhiwho spoke earlier at the same venue, Bandra-Kurla complex. According to Modi, the Congress Vice-President was doing nothing but indulging in ‘poverty tourism’ by clicking pictures with the poor. He said the Government cannot be allowed to run on the oxygen backup given by the mother-son (Sonia Gandhi, Rahul) duo.

Modi also lambasted the younger Gandhi for terming India a honeybee in one of his previous interactions with the captains of industry. “For us, our country is our motherland and for him (Rahul), it is his mother’s land,” he said. From his tours across the country, he predicted that the Congress would not even touch the three-digit mark, while the NDA’s tally would be closer to 300 seats.

As Mumbai goes to the polls on Thursday, Modi wooed the city’s youth, asking them to vote for a strong government. The crowd in the front row literally erupted when he appeared on the stage with Uddhav Thackeray, although late by an hour-and-a-half.

India's image

Modi greeted the crowd in Marathi while going on to say that India’s image had taken a beating, thanks to the coal allocation scam, Commonwealth Games and the growing incidents of rape.

The last, he added, is fuelling insecurity among global visitors at a time when other parts of the world are pulling out all stops to woo tourists.

“It is ironical that 20,000 MW of power facilities are shut today because there is no coal,” Modi went on. According to him, while the Delhi government had allocated ₹1,000 crore towards the Nirbhaya fund for women’s safety, not a penny has been spent so far, with an identical sum allocated in this year’s interim budget too.

Congress-NCP alliance Modi criticised the Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra for the growing levels of joblessness and promised employment to youngsters in the 18-28 age group, “a golden period in a person’s life.”

He also criticised the state of the local train system, the city’s lifeline, and promised to have more technology in place.

A railways university would be set up to train motormen and other employees.

As he neared the end of his speech, Modi reminded the crowds, “You are not just voters; become canvassers and motivate people to build a strong government.”

 

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