Addressing a rally in Amethi, the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Monday said he intends to build India starting from Amethi.
"I have to develop the country, but first I have to start with Amethi. People tell me stop ABCD. I want to start with A for Amethi," said Modi.
"Sonia says, 'Modi toh maang raha hai' but I had said 'Yeh Dil Maange More'. In a democracy, the people are like god, and I am proud that I go to the people and ask from them. We don't indulge in looting. Your royal family has left poor people with no option," he said.
"Sonia says that Modi has already started calling himself PM even before results. I know that it is difficult for a mother in these times. She has been preparing her son for ten years. Her effort will be wasted," he added.
He also reminded that Election Commission that it is the responsibility of the poll body to ensure that elections are held in a free and fair manner in Amethi and in other parts of the country.
"No one can buy the people of Amethi, it is the Election Commission's responsibility to hold free and fair elections here," he said.
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He also targeted the Gandhi family on the issue of lack of development in Amethi, saying, "They are lying when they accuse the SP (Samajwadi Party) or any other party of not helping them develop constituency. All they need is a willingness to work and an understanding of how it needs to be done. If I want to do some development work here - the local SP or BSP MLA will support us. I can say this with total and absolute confidence."
He said the country has been deliberately misguided, and nobody questions the Gandhi family about anything.
Taking on Rahul, who had accused him of indulging in the politics of anger, Modi said, "I'll give you an example of such politics. When Rajiv Gandhi was Congress General Secretary in Hyderabad, at that time, he had insulted the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister so much that the old man started crying."
He also accused Sonia of not allowing the funeral of former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to be held in New Delhi, as had been the tradition for the past many years. Rao was cremated in Hyderabad.
"Narasimha Rao, who did so much for the country, was not allowed to be cremated in Delhi by an angry Sonia Gandhi. The British hated Bahadur Shah Zafar so much they did not allow him to be buried in Delhi. Similarly, in the case of Narasimha Rao, he was not given two yards for his final rites," he said.
He also said that in 2019 he will himself visit Amethi and will give an account of the work done by the BJP in Amethi.