Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday trained his guns at the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, accusing them of running a competition to appease their vote bank.
Addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, Modi called both the parties "anti-development". Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections.
"The SP and Congress are more concerned about their vote bank than Kumbh (mela)," he said in his address. “If they were seen doing much for the Kumbh, they feared their vote bank could become upset.”
He also accused the opposition INDIA bloc of being against good governance and against the Hindu faith.
“The INDI alliance is against our good governance and our faith,” Modi said. “ Every corner of India testifies that INDI Alliance cannot bring about development and progress.”
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{{/usCountry}}“The INDI alliance is against our good governance and our faith,” Modi said. “ Every corner of India testifies that INDI Alliance cannot bring about development and progress.”
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{{/usCountry}}"During the Kumbh Mela held under their rule, stampedes used to take place, and people (referring to an incident in February 2013) had to lose their lives. Everywhere, chaos prevailed.
He also alleged that during the rule of the previous Samajwadi Party governments, the mafia used to occupy the lands of the poor.
“During the SP government, the mafia used to occupy the lands of the poor, now the BJP government demolishes their illegal palaces and builds houses for the poor,” Modi said. "The youth can never forget how the SP government used to trade their dreams. Their hard work, their qualification, but who used to get the job? Jobs were given based on caste, jobs were given to those who gave bribes."
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Modi was addressing the rally in Prayagraj to seek votes for BJP candidate Neeraj Tripathi.
The main contest in Allahabad is between Neeraj Tripathi, the son of former West Bengal governor and speaker of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Keshari Nath Tripathi, and Ujjwal Ram Singh, the son of former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Reoti Raman Singh.
Voting in the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25.