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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  In Bihar, Narendra Modi attacks Congress on corruption issue
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In Bihar, Narendra Modi attacks Congress on corruption issue

Analysts say BJP's PM nominee is speaking on graft in anticipation of Arvind Kejriwal's sharper stand on corruption ahead of elections

BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi addressed public rallies in Bihar and Jharkhand targeting Congress on corruption issue. Photo: Hindustan TimesPremium
BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi addressed public rallies in Bihar and Jharkhand targeting Congress on corruption issue. Photo: Hindustan Times

New Delhi: The campaign for the coming general election should be turned into a movement against corruption, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday told voters in Bihar and Jharkhand, which together account for 54 Lok Sabha seats.

Blaming the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for the Adarsh housing and coal scams, Modi argued that the ruling party lacked the will to end corruption.

“Can the Congress party end corruption? The Congress doesn’t have the intention to end corruption. The party talks about bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks but the party doesn’t give an answer on why it didn’t do so for the last 10 years," he told a rally in Gaya, Bihar.

Political analysts following Modi’s public speeches said he was speaking on graft in anticipation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal bringing an even sharper focus on corruption in order to make it the central issue in the days ahead.

“Corruption will get more focus in the election now, especially after Arvind Kejriwal announced that he will contest against Narendra Modi in Varanasi. This is the fundamental change in Modi’s speech in the last few days because he has now started directly attacking Kejriwal in his rallies. Modi called Kejriwal anti-national on Wednesday," said A.K. Verma, a Kanpur-based political analyst.

Modi held three public meetings on Thursday—at Gaya and Sasaram in Bihar and at Lohardaga in Jharkhand.

Although Bihar and Jharkhand account for as many as 54 Lok Sabha seats the main opposition party holds only 17 from there. The BJP has formed an alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ram Vilas Paswan in Bihar in a bid to improve its tally.

In his rallies, Modi also raised the issue of election reforms and asked the Election Commission (EC) to make it mandatory for political parties to implement their manifestos if they come to power. The Gujarat chief minister said political parties should report to people on how many of their manifesto promises had been fulfilled.

“The Election Commission takes affidavits from contestants during elections. It is a good practice. EC should also take a policy decision to ask political parties how many promises it was able to accomplish in its tenure in government. EC should ask how many promises made in the manifesto were implemented by the government and what was the outcome," Modi said.

A day after the Congress launched its manifesto promising 100 million jobs and introduction of rights to housing, health and pension, Modi claimed the ruling party was trying to mislead the people by making false promises.

“Congress has no right to make false promises. Manifesto is a chord between voters and political parties. Congress party has made many promises, now is the time to give a report on its achievements. The party should tell the people why it was unable to control price rise and end corruption," Modi added.

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Published: 27 Mar 2014, 08:28 PM IST
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