INDORE, Apr 30 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday termed Congress a “sinking ship” and said the developments in Surat and Indore showed people’s affection for the ruling BJP. Several Congress candidates had been elected unopposed in the past, he said at a rally at Mandhata in Madhya Pradesh in support of BJP candidate from Khandwa and sitting MP Gyaneshwar Patil. “This time there was a miracle in Lok Sabha elections. The BJP candidate from Surat won unopposed, and the Congress candidate in Indore withdrew his nomination and extended support to the BJP. This shows people’s deep affection towards the BJP which is increasing all the time,” Singh said. Countering Congress’ claim that such developments were a threat to democracy, the Union minister said its candidates had been elected unopposed on 20 occasions. “I want to ask the Congress, was there no threat to democracy then?” he said. The opposition party was a “sinking ship with a hole,” and no power in the world can save it, the BJP leader further said. On Monday, Congress candidate from Indore, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. Earlier, the BJP scored its first victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on April 22 after the nomination of Congress’ Surat candidate Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected for technical reasons and the other candidates dropped out of the race, leading to the BJP’s Mukesh Dalal being elected unopposed. “Mahatma Gandhi had said the Congress should be dissolved after independence. But Congress leaders did not listen to him. Now the people of India are bent on finishing Congress as per Gandhi’s wishes,” Singh further said. “If you were to ask a child ten years down the line if he knows Congress, he would say, ‘what Congress’. This is the condition of the party,” he added. Singh also attacked Rahul Gandhi’s statement about conducting a “wealth survey” and Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda’s remarks about inheritance tax. Such proposals were not acceptable to the people of the country and global economists too have termed them a “very dangerous game”, the BJP leader said. The BJP’s was determined to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in future and necessary amendments would be made to existing laws and rules, Singh said. Later, speaking at a campaign rally of BJP’s Khargone candidate and sitting MP Gajendra Singh Patel, the Union minister said the Congress government conferred a special status on Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. As a result, reservations could not be implemented there, terrorism continued to grow, and development was stalled. “Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India but Congress leaders surrendered there,” he said, adding that the Narendra Modi government fulfilled the BJP’s promise of removing Article 370. Congress failed to eradicate poverty despite its slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’, while the Modi government lifted 25 crore people out of poverty in eight years, Singh said. (PTI)
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