Questioning the policies and claims of the UPA Government, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday took a jibe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying 'those born with a golden spoon can't know the pain of the poor'.
Modi said a government should not be for the rich, but for the poor.
"We have been born in poverty. We have lived in poverty. We have experienced their pain. And when someone makes such jokes on poor, I feel very sad. Salt is being put on wounds of the poor. Our poor, our farmers have become jokes for the Congress. The 'prince' says there is nothing called poverty, it is a state of mind," said Modi.
"Those born with a 'golden spoon', do they know what is poverty. And to know what poverty is, they go with cameras to spend a night in a poor man's hut," he added.
Modi said the Congress had promised to bring down inflation, but it has only increased.
"In 2009, the Congress promised to reduce inflation in 100 days. Did it reduce? Has the Prime Minister ever said they have been unable to control inflation? Has Soniaji ever expressed regret at not being able to bring down inflation? Has her 'shehzadaa' (prince) ever acknowledged this? Have they said they have tried to bring down inflation?" asked Modi.
"This is because of their arrogance. They do not want to listen to the people," he added.
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Modi also lashed out at Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for remaining silent on the ceasefire violations and Line of Control (LoC) killings.
"When our jawans were beheaded, our Prime Minister said sternly, 'If this is repeated, we will see'. Our neighbours taunt us with incursions and the government in Delhi serves chicken biryani meals," he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister also criticized the Prime Minister over the coal blocks allocation scam, saying the stain of coal is not limited to Delhi it is also in Kanpur
Modi, who raised slogans of 'India first and 'development for all', said the Congress believes in dividing the nation in terms of castes, religion.
"To take the nation ahead, we need to integrate not divide," he said.
Modi, who addressed a massive gathering here, said that he 'senses affection in every corner of the country', and added that along with that affection, people of the country are also showing their 'anger towards the Congress'.
Modi, who was accompanied by BJP President Rajnath Singh, veteran leader Kalyan Singh and several other party stalwarts, said Uttar Pradesh must be made free of the trinity of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress.
Modi, who criticized the 'dynastic politics', said it is time to uproot the 'sultanates' and vote BJP back to power.
The BJP's prime ministerial candidate raking up the recent incidents of communal violence accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party Government of playing vote bank politics.
"The people continue to lose lives, but the state government is least bothered. What is the law and order situation in UP?" said Modi.
The BJP's prime ministerial candidate said the clarion call of 'Congress Free India' must come from Kanpur, and added that the ruling party at the Centre has been making false promises for last 60 years.
"Earlier, it was for 'Swarajya' and now it is for 'Surajya'. During elections, the Congress makes false promises to the people and this has been going on for the last 60 years by the ruling party and its allies," Modi said.
"Do you want your children to go through the same tribulations you faced in life? Don't you want a better life for them? People are venting their anger against the Congress and their allies," he added.
Modi said the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have destroyed Uttar Pradesh.
"It is time to uproot this government and bring the BJP in to give India a new hope. The Central government has to give an account of their activities in the past five years, instead they talk about Gujarat. I have given my account to the Gujarat people and they have given me a distinction," he said.
BJP President Rajnath Singh earlier urged the people to bless Modi, and said India's future can only be changed with the blessings of the people of Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh - which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, almost a seventh of the 543-member House - has the potential to make or break Modi's Delhi dream.
The BJP, which currently has only 10 MPs from Uttar Pradesh, is taking no chances.
The rally in Kanpur, which is widely regarded as a bastion of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), is being projected as a crucial strategic move to snare as many Lok Sabha seats as possible out of the total 80 seats that are up for grabs in Uttar Pradesh during next year's general election.