Udham Singh Nagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party on Tuesday, accusing it of ‘dividing the country into pieces’ during its six-decade-long rule, as he addressed a poll rally in Rudrapur, kicking off BJP’s poll campaign in Uttarakhand.
TOP POINTS
- PM Modi slammed the Congress for allegedly mishandling the Katchatheevu issue, referring to the island in Tamil Nadu given to Sri Lanka during the Congress regime. He criticized the Congress for failing to protect the country’s land and allowing fishermen to be arrested when they venture into the area by mistake.
- PM Modi further accused the Congress of neglecting border villages and failing to prioritize the welfare of former soldiers, alleging that the party would not have implemented the ‘one rank one pension’ scheme if it had remained in power.
- The territorial and fishing rights dispute surrounding Katchatheevu island has resurfaced, with the BJP and opposition parties engaging in a war of words over the issue. PM Modi targeted the DMK for its handling of the matter, accusing the ruling party of Tamil Nadu of neglecting the state’s interests.
- New details emerging about India’s agreement to hand over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka have exposed the DMK’s alleged double standards. PM Modi cited a news report suggesting that despite public opposition, then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had given his approval to the agreement.
- With Uttarakhand contributing just five Lok Sabha seats out of 543, the state remains a crucial battleground for both the BJP and Congress. The BJP has fielded prominent candidates for these seats, gearing up for the single-phase polling scheduled for April 19, according to the Election Commission of India.
- Uttarakhand has traditionally witnessed fierce competition between the BJP and Congress, with the BJP emerging victorious in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2022 assembly polls, the BJP secured a dominant position with 47 out of 70 seats, underscoring its stronghold in the state.
PM Modi’s address in Rudrapur marks the beginning of what promises to be a heated electoral battle in Uttarakhand, with parties vying for supremacy and leveraging key issues to sway voters in their favour.
