SP, Cong Were More Concerned About Their Vote Bank Than Kumbh: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Congress and the Samajwadi Party and alleged that both the parties only care about their vote bank and are "anti-development". Referring to the Kumbh Mela, the largest pilgrimage gathering of the Hindu community, PM Modi said that during the times when SP and Congress led the government, stampedes were a common occurrence at the event.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj Modi said, "Everywhere you go in India, you hear that the INDI alliance won't bring development. Take the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj as an example. During the time of the SP-Congress, it was chaotic. Stampedes were common, and lives were lost. The event was poorly managed, with chaos everywhere. Their focus was more on their vote bank than on the Kumbh. They feared that doing too much for Kumbh might alienate their supporters. There was a constant competition between SP and Congress for appeasement."

#WATCH | Addressing a huge public gathering in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Every corner of India says that the INDI alliance will not bring development. Look at the example of Kumbh Mela held in Prayagraj... What used to happen during the time of… pic.twitter.com/s6n7mogi91

— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2024

"This election of 2024 will decide the direction in which the Triveni of India's future will flow," Modi said. The prime minister said the members of the INDIA block cannot digest praise of India abroad. He added that India is now known for its expressway and infrastructure.

Modi was addressing the rally in Prayagraj to seek votes for BJP candidate Neeraj Tripathi. The main contest in Allahabad is between Neeraj Tripathi, the son of former West Bengal governor and speaker of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Keshari Nath Tripathi, and Ujjwal Ram Singh, the son of former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Reoti Raman Singh. Polling in the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25.