Janjivan Bureau
Meerut: In his first rally in UP after polls were announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said “SCAM” is an acronym for the Samajwadi Party, the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati.
He alleged that the corrupt he had “robbed” with note ban had ganged up to bring him down and targeted the SP-Congress alliance, saying the two parties which abused each other till recently were now locked in an embrace to save themselves.
He asked the people to choose between development agenda of the BJP and those who give shelter to criminals, indulge in vote bank politics and encourage land and mine mafias.
In his over-an-hour-long address, he spoke about corruption, law and order and nepotism allegedly prevailing in the state as he sought people’s vote for the BJP to change the state’s fate.
“It is UP which made me the Prime Minister,” Modi said, adding that he wanted to repay its debt and that he could do it only with a government that joins hands with the Centre to develop the state unlike the current dispensation which was a “hindrance” in its progress.
Wooing farmers, he reiterated the party’s promise of waiving loans of small and marginal farmers and paying the dues of sugarcane growers within 14 days of coming to power.
Playing the pro-poor and pro-farmers card, a plank BJP has assiduously tried to claim for some time, Modi said the recent budget was all about them besides the middle class.
Noting that the rebellion against the British rule in 1857 had started from Meerut, Modi said he had chosen this place to start the war against poverty, corrupt forces and land grabbers.
The PM again attacked the opposition parties over demonetisation and surgical strikes to strike a chord with the audience as he said he was determined to cleanse the system at the top and was not interested in small fights.
“Those who filled rooms with currency notes collected by selling party tickets are very anguished as I forced them to deposit their money in banks. I knew they will all gang up against me. Do you think that corruption should be ended and black money finished off? I have been doing this and will not rest nor will let these robbers rest,” he said.
