 "Shashi Tharoor")
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter being invited to inaugurate a Hindu temple in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, in February next year. PM Modi is also set to inaugurate the Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.
Tharoor further said that the 2024 Lok Sabha Election was "shaping up to be Hindutva versus popular welfare."
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor wrote, "So Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22 and the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi on February 14. I expect elections to be called very soon thereafter."
"The message is clear. In 2009, Mr Modi was sold to the Indian electorate as the avatar of economic development, the CEO of Gujarat Inc., who would bring development to all Indians. In 2019, with that narrative collapsing in the wake of the disastrous demonetisation, the Pulwama terrorist attack gave Mr Modi the opportunity to convert the general election into a national security election," he said.
"In 2024, it is clear the BJP will now revert to its core message and offer Narendra Modi to the nation as a Hindu Hriday Samrat," Tharoor added.
"All of this begs the question: what happened to achhe din? What happened to two crore jobs a year? What happened to economic growth that would benefit the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder? What happened to putting disposable income into the pockets and bank accounts of every Indian? These questions will have to be debated in an election that is shaping up to be Hindutva versus popular welfare," he said.
PM Modi's‘ mission mode'
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed BJP members to work in "mission mode" and ensure the full implementation of government projects and welfare schemes. PM Modi also emphasised the importance of empowering women, the poor, young, and farmers through government programs.
The party will also focus on improving its performance in Lok Sabha constituencies where it was lacking. Additionally, the government aims to ensure that eligible individuals are not left out of welfare schemes through the Viksit Bharat Campaign.
In states where the BJP is not in power, PM Modi has instructed the cadres to ensure that there are no obstructions created in the disbursal of aid under central government schemes.
Opposition's preparation ahead of Lok Sabha polls
In his last chance to revive the fortunes of the Congress party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is embarking on the second leg of his pan-India march, the 'Bharat Nyay Yatra'.
The Bharat Nyay Yatra comes as Rahul Gandhi received tremendous support for its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', which the Congress MP started in September 2022 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. This time, Rahul Gandhi will undertake a 150-day Bharat Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai.
"This Yatra will cover a distance of 6,200 km. It travels the states including Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and finally Maharashtra. The mode of yatra is through the bus," Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said while announcing the Bharat Nyay Yatra.
Meanwhile, on December 19, the INDIA bloc held its scheduled vital meeting in New Delhi to deliberate on seat sharing, a joint campaign blueprint and redrawing the joint strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
INDIA, or 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance', is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress.
The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
