He did not mention BJD leader and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik but concentrated his fire on Congress. The PM said the ganging up of various political parties is solely intended to protect family fiefdoms and only served to underline the importance of a stable government with a clear majority. “Our fight against black money and corruption has turned hardcore enemies into friends. It made them come together and stand on the same stage, those accused in big scams are uniting now,” the PM said in a reference to the opposition show at the swearing-in of the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka.
A decisive government stood in contrast to a “weak” UPA, where decisions of the PMO and Cabinet were taken from outside and ministers received instructions over email. “Who can forget the scams that made us ashamed? It was all to enrich a select gang with a PM run by remote,” the PM said.
In contrast, this government sets big targets and delivers on time, he said. The PM’s electoral themes are a clear pointer to BJP’s campaign ahead of Lok Sabha polls as he said the nation is on the move and reflected the hard work put in to improve lives of the poor, middle class and small business.
“It is a journey of kala dhan (black money) to jan dhan (bank accounts for the poor)…our record of four years shows that you can move from intent to achievement,” he said. Arguing he had not frittered a big mandate, Modi said his government is best placed to meet expectations and aspirations for modern infrastructure. “We don’t miss taking bold decisions. When the country has a government with commitment, not confusion, then only it dares to decide on surgical strikes.”
He said big fish had not been spared with four former CMs in jail. “Those on bail and many others involved in various scams are coming together. This is not meant to save the country, it is meant to save their families,” Modi said in a jibe at leaders of RJD, SP, BSP, JD(S), NCP, RLD, Left parties and Congress sharing the dais during H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister.
Modi attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “naamdar (born to privilege)”, while the PM said in his childhood he did not even have a spoon, forget a golden one. He said many in the NDA Cabinet had experienced poverty first-hand, which was reflected in government programmes for the poor.
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