In Lakhimpur Kheri, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a scathing critique of the Congress, suggesting that the party’s trajectory could lead to its extinction, likening it to the fate of dinosaurs. Asserting the BJP’s fidelity to its pledges, Singh emphasized this point during his speech at an election rally in support of Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra from Kheri and Rekha Verma from Dhaurahra.
During his extensive address, Singh delineated India’s advancements in defense, internal security, economics, and development since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed leadership in 2014. Casting aspersions on the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, Singh prophesied the imminent obsolescence of these political entities.
“The Congress’s trajectory mirrors that of the dinosaurs,” he quipped. Recalling Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairman Sam Pitroda’s recent comments on inheritance tax, Singh cautioned against the imposition of such levies, asserting that no Indian would willingly relinquish 55% of their estate posthumously.
Encouraging voters to empower the BJP once more, the Union Minister underscored the party’s track record of action, citing achievements like the abrogation of Article 370, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the outlawing of instant triple talaq, and the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“Ram Lalla’s transition from humble abode to regal palace symbolizes the dawn of Ram Rajya in India,” Singh emphasized. Criticizing past Congress administrations for neglecting security concerns along the India-China border, he remarked,
“The Congress hesitated to develop infrastructure on the China border, fearing Chinese encroachment… However, under the Modi government, border infrastructure has been fortified, and the military stands prepared to retaliate if necessary.”
Commending Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Singh expressed pride in the state’s economic strides towards becoming a trillion-dollar economy. Under Adityanath’s stewardship, law and order have improved, elevating the state’s standing, Singh remarked.
Likewise, under Modi’s leadership, India is ascending to new pinnacles of progress and prosperity, he stated, noting the nation’s enhanced global stature since 2014.
“When India speaks today, the world listens attentively. Such is India’s standing on the global stage,” he emphasized.
Censuring the principal opposition, Singh remarked, “The Congress accuses the BJP of engaging in Hindu-Muslim politics, yet five Islamic nations of the Arab world have bestowed their highest civilian honors upon PM Narendra Modi.”
Singh recounted the failure of Congress governments to curb terrorism, highlighting the then-Home Minister’s dismissal of the 2008 Mumbai attacks as minor. Conversely, the BJP administration, since 2014, has garnered international acclaim for its anti-terrorism efforts.
While Singh expressed reverence for former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, regarding them as institutions, he lamented their unfulfilled pledges to eradicate poverty. Conversely, he noted that under eight to nine years of BJP rule under Modi, 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty.
Since 2014, Singh asserted, India has achieved self-sufficiency in military equipment production, even exporting items like Brahmos missiles. Dismissing allegations of religious bias in government schemes, he affirmed that all citizens receive equal benefits. Kheri and Dhaurahra are slated for polls in the fourth phase on May 13.