UPA rule a decade of destruction: Modi

The hard-hitting attack came over a month after prime minister Manmohan Singh chastised Modi’s elevation as BJP’s PM nominee as ‘disastrous for the country’.

‘The economy of India is on the brink (of collapse) today because of Congres’ misdeeds. There is a question mark on the security of the common man. Every neighbouring country, be it small or big, today threatens India...,’ Modi said while addressing BJP workers, after inaugurating the state party unit’s new office in Koba here.

‘...And the reason for this is the leadership, the government of the country; the last ten years were the worst in independent India’s history. It was a decade of destruction,’ Modi said in an apparent reference to Singh.

BJP patriarch L K Advani was also present on the occasion.

On the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Modi said the outcome of elections will determine the future of the country and its position among its global peers.

‘It is not merely an election. It may be an election for the Election Commission of India as they will have to issue notification, scrutinise the candidature forms, etc. but these elections will determine the future of India,’ Modi said.

‘Who contested the elections, who won and who lost is immaterial, but what is important is that the elections will determine the country’s fate,’ he said.

Modi asserted that the common man will listen to BJP’s call to change the prevailing situation for better.

The new office, located along the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway near Koba village, will serve as the BJP’s state headquarters and is aptly named as ‘Shree Kamalam’. It is built at the cost of Rs 18 crore. 

Continuing his diatribe, Modi said a spate of scams under the guard of Congress has caused a huge financial loss to the state exchequer. ‘This country cannot be allowed to be looted.

The country cannot forever stay in a state of helplessness,’ he added.

Exhorting BJP workers to increase booth preparedness ahead of elections, Modi said, ‘Every party worker must ensure victory of the candidate in his respective booth. He must fight for the victory with conviction.’ 

Modi said Congress was harping only on secondary issues because they are afraid of raising glaring issues like inflation, corruption and good governance.

‘The three main issues on which the election will be fought are inflation, corruption and good governance. No Congress leader talks about these issues in any of the rallies,’ he said.

Modi took a dig at Congress over three successive drubbings it has received at the hands of BJP in Gujarat.

‘In 2002 Assembly elections, they said BJP will fight on the issue of Godhra train carnage but we fought on the plank of development and won. In 2007, they fought on ‘Maut ka Saudagar’ issue, but we again won on development plank. While, in 2012, they tried to raise the Godhra issue, but people voted us back on our track record,’ he said.