Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections | Modi lashes out at nepotism and ‘appeasement politics’ in Amethi, Prayagraj

Strong national government is not possible without a strong government in Uttar Pradesh, PM tells voters

Giving the people of Amethi and Prayagraj a crash course on the dangers of nepotistic rule and appeasement politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that after four rounds of the ongoing Assembly polls, it was clear that the people of Uttar Pradesh stood consolidated behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "When the Opposition starts blaming EVMs (electronic voting machine), you know there is no need to wait for the exit polls," he said.

Addressing a rally in Amethi, Mr. Modi said that those who thought they would be able to divide people and make them forget the national interest and the interests of the State would get a reality check on March 10.

In Prayagraj, Mr. Modi once again brought current concerns in international affairs to the U.P. polls. “In the changed global scenario, you need a strong national government, which is not possible without a strong government in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Referring to projects along the Kashi-Vishwanath Corridor, and in Prayagraj and Kedarnath, Mr. Modi said it was strange that some people saw the development of pilgrimage centres through the communal lens. "This is not done when it comes to Mecca and the Vatican, which have world-class amenities," he remarked.

Presenting the BJP as a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mr. Modi, in the company of alliance partners Sanjay Nishad and Anupriya Patel, said, the BJP believed in the progress of “ sarva samaj” (society for all).

Striking an emotional chord with the electorate, Mr. Modi, without taking the name of the Samajwadi Party (SP), charged the Opposition with politicising the vaccination programme during the pandemic. “They called it the ‘BJP vaccine’ to mislead the people. Modi waited for his turn to get the jab. We gave priority to frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities,” the PM said. He said even his aged mother did not break any queue to get favourable treatment. “She is 100 years old but as she doesn’t have any comorbidity. She waited for her turn to get the booster dose. Could you expect something similar from these p arivarvadi people?” he asked.

He charged the Congress with starting the trend of cronyism and took on the SP for blindly following the pattern set by the Congress.