Weighing in on the controversy around an alleged fake video, purportedly showing Union Home Minister Amit Shah as claiming that the BJP stands against reservations; Chief Minister Mohan Yadav came down heavily on the Congress on Tuesday, saying it has a history of instilling ‘fear’ in people’s minds for the sake of votes.
Speaking to ANI on board a chartered flight, on the sidelines of campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, on Tuesday, CM Yadav said, “The Congress has a history of instilling fear in people’s minds through unfounded claims for the sake of votes. On the issue of reservation, too, the Congress is treading the same line. It was the Congress that brought amendments to our Constitution (countering the Opposition claim that the BJP-led NDA would ring in changes to the Constitution if elected for a third term). The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has worked to give reservation to the poor and the backward sections. We even moved the Supreme Court in the interest of reservations and social justice.”
Echoing PM Modi’s refrain, the Madhya Pradesh CM said Rahul was eyeing a flight from Wayanad, his current Lok Sabha constituency from where he is seeking a fresh term, in the same way as he ‘ran away’ from Amethi (in Uttar Pradesh) after his defeat to Union Minister Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi in 2019 and could be in for a similar flight from Wayanad (if he loses). He seems to be overcome by a sense of fear. This is all because of the popularity of PM Modi,” the BJP leader said.
He added that Prime Minister Modi was receiving rousing support from people across the country, asserting that the prevailing mood of the nation could, in one word, be described as ‘Modimay’ (in favour of PM Modi).
“I am happy that the party vested in me the responsibility of taking our campaign pitch and promises to the people (during the election campaign). People across the length and breadth of the country are ‘Modimay’. Be it North, South, East, or West, everyone is supporting PM Modi’s bid for a third term in office. I believe that he will continue with his brand of good governance after returning to office for the third time,” CM Yadav said.
On Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari claiming that his party will win 5 of the 12 constituencies in the state where voting for the Lok Sabha concluded in the first two phases, Yadav said the claim holds no substance as the Congress was not even fighting these elections at full strength.
“His claim proved to be a damp squib when his party candidate (from Indore withdrew his nomination and) joined the BJP. They are not contesting all 29 (Lok Sabha) seats in the state. This is the first time that the Congress has managed to find candidates to contest all seats in the state. It seems their candidates are fleeing the field even before the battle begins,” CM Yadav said.
He added that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party wouldn’t be able to hold out the saffron sweep across the country, as their leaders were pulling out of the contest.
“We can’t help it if the Samajwadi and Congress candidates don’t want to contest (the polls). They are fighting the elections in alliance (in MP). The Congress decided to put up candidates in 28 seats while setting aside the other for the Samajwadi Party. However, the Samajwadi candidate refused to contest (the lone seat). Then they replaced him with someone else, who also pulled out of the fray. Now, the Samajwadi Party is struggling to find a candidate to fight the seat. Hence, be it the Congress, the Samajwadis, or anyone else, they wouldn’t survive the Modi wave (in the state),” he said.
Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 and the second was conducted on April 26.
The next two phases are scheduled to be held on May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh ranks sixth among all states in terms of its representation in the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.