Rubbishing the allegations of “vote theft” raised by the opposition at the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi “steals hearts, not votes”, and has earned international respect.
"They allege theft of votes but Modi steals hearts (Modi ji vote chori nahin karte, dilon ki chori karte hai), and he has stolen hearts of us all," Gupta said in Hindi, as she spoke at a Vishwakarma Puja programme held at a mall in the city, reported news agency PTI.
“Like ‘Makhanchor’ ('one who steals butter', Lord Krishna fondly called by the name for his love for fresh butter during his childhood), Modi is ‘mann ka chor’ (one who steals hearts),” said the CM, heaping praise on the prime minister on the eve of his birthday as he turns 75 on September 17.
Modi “does not need to steal” votes, she asserted, and added that this allegation was being drummed up by parties that have lost power and are now “scared to face elections”.
{{/usCountry}}Modi “does not need to steal” votes, she asserted, and added that this allegation was being drummed up by parties that have lost power and are now “scared to face elections”.
{{/usCountry}}She added that PM Modi has instilled a "new energy" in the country through his leadership and countries like even the US “salute” India.
Accusing the opposition
Apart from this statement, Gupta reportedly assailed the Gandhi family, accusing them of nepotism. She called PM Modi a “saint” who devoted his life to the service of the country and never benefited anyone in his family.
In an attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, she said, “(He) gave land to his brother-in-law, post to his sister and made his mother a prime ministerial candidate, and himself indulges in what nobody understands.”
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces abuse because they (opposition) are troubled at why the country is progressing, the poor are being benefited, and even countries like the US are saluting India,” Gupta said as per the PTI report.
The Congress has been at the forefront of accusing the BJP of "vote chori" (vote theft) ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. The party has been levelling allegations of collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP government at the Centre to influence election results.