Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh), April 29
On the sidelines of inauguration of country’s largest Ganga Expressway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Today is also an important day of the festival of democracy. In Bengal, the second phase of voting is happening at this time, and the news coming shows that heavy voting is happening in Bengal. Just like in the first phase, people are coming out of their homes in large numbers to vote, and pictures of long queues are all over social media. What had not happened in the past 6–7 decades, what was difficult even to imagine, this time voting in Bengal is happening in such a fearless environment. People are voting free from fear. This is a sacred symbol of the Constitution of the country and of the strengthening democracy of the country. I express gratitude to the great people of Bengal that they are so aware of their rights, voting in large numbers. Still many hours remain before voting ends, I urge the people of Bengal to participate in this festival of democracy with the same enthusiasm.”
Modi added that some time ago when elections happened in Bihar, BJP-NDA registered a massive victory, created history, while adding, “Just yesterday, results of elections in Gujarat for municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats, nagar panchayats, and tehsil panchayats came. And you people of Uttar Pradesh will be happy, BJP has won 80 to 85 percent of municipalities and panchayats. And I am confident that in these five states’ elections also BJP is going to make a historic hat-trick of victories. The results of 4 May will strengthen the resolve of a developed India, and will fill the pace of the country’s development with new energy.”
PM also said that the Samajwadi Party is both anti-development and anti-women. “Just recently the country once again saw the real face of parties like SP and Congress. The NDA government at the Centre had brought the Nari Shakti Vandan amendment in Parliament. If this amendment had passed, then from the 2029 elections itself, women would have got reservation in Legislative Assemblies and Lok Sabha! A large number of our mothers and sisters would have become MPs and MLAs, reaching Delhi and Lucknow. That too, without reducing seats of any other category! But Samajwadi Party (SP) voted against this amendment bill,” he added.
Modi said, “This bill would have increased seats in all states too. We had clearly said in Parliament, seats in all states would increase in the same proportion. But parties like DMK, which do politics by abusing UP, objected to why UP’s seats would increase. You see, the Samajwadi Party was echoing the same tune in Parliament. These SP members take your votes from here, and in Parliament stand with those who abuse the people of UP. That is why the people of UP say, the Samajwadi Party can never improve. These people will always do anti-women politics. They will always stand with appeasement and criminals. SP can never rise above family politics and caste politics. These people will always do anti-development politics. UP must remain cautious of SP and its allies.”
