Sambalpur: Dubbing Congress as a "betrayer and habitual liar", BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today said the party realised the need to feed the poor after 60 long years and accused it of bringing its flagship food security law so late.
The only agenda of Congress is "stop Modi", he said. "It took Congress 60 years to bring a law on food. Everybody has a stomach, everybody gets hungry. But they remembered after 60 years that they need a law on food," Modi said at the party`s "Vijay Sankalp Samavesh" here.
"I seek control of price rise, but Congress says `stop Modi`. I want eradication of corruption, but Congress says stop Modi."
Stating that good governance was the need of the hour, Modi said, "if 1857 was the battle for `swaraj? ( self-rule ), 2014 will be a battle for `su raaj`(good governance)."
The Gujarat Chief Minister said Congress failed to keep the promise of checking inflation within 100 days it had made before the last elections.
"Congress had promised before the 2009 lok Sabha elections that it will control rising prices within 100 days .. But it turned out to be a false promise," Modi said.
Because of "utter failure" on the part of the UPA government, people consider Congress to be a "betrayer and habitual liar" which always came out with false promises on the eve of elections to get votes, he said.
"People can forgive someone who commits a mistake, if someone has some weaknesses, but they would never forgive one who indulges in acts of betrayal," the BJP leader said.
Modi said it is not that people want a BJP government or Narendra Modi as Prime Minister but the country wants to teach a lesson to those who have ruined it. People want good governance, he said.
Charging Congress with neglecting farmers, Modi said BJP-ruled states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had launched a host of measures for the benefit of the farmers.
But the apathy of Congress towards farmers in Madhya Pradesh was clear from the manner in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ignored the issue when MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan staged a hunger strike for assistance to the farmers hit by hailstorm, Modi said.
"Just because MP happens to be a BJP-ruled state where people voted against Congress, the Centre refused to address the problems of its farmers," he said.
Accusing Congress of lacking concern for tribals, Modi said Congress did not know there was a tribal community in the country with special needs.
The tribal people got their rights because of BJP`s efforts when a new Ministry of Tribal Affairs was formed at the Centre and budget for tribal communities was made during the prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said.
"While BJP and its leaders are busy looking for solutions to the problems facing the country and its people, Congress is struggling to find ways to tackle Modi as they are worried," the BJP leader said.
If Sepoy Mutiny was about "kamal and roti", 2014 election is about about "kamal and Modi", he said urging the people to vote for `kamal` (lotus), BJP`s election symbol.
