Prime Minister NarendraModi said Saturday hit out at Congress saying it wants to dilute powers of the armed forces.
He also accused the Congress of always using poverty as amajor political weapon and said the best remedy to eradicate poverty was to doaway with that party.
The PM addressed election rallies in Sundargarh and Sonepurin western Odisha where voting for simultaneous assembly and LokSabha pollswill take place in second phase on April 18.
Coming down heavily on Congress, Modi accused the grand oldparty of using poverty as a tool for politics and hatching a conspiracy tobreak the backbone of middle-class in the country by burdening them with heavytaxes through schemes proposed in its manifesto.
“I want to tell you about another conspiracy ofCongress to rob the assistance meant for the poor. Congress wants to implementsuch policies which will double the prices of essential items including riceand wheat available through PDS,” Modi said.
“Will it be good for the country to break the backboneof the middle class by burdening them with taxes,” Modi said.
“The Congress has all along been reaping political benefitsby employing poverty as a major weapon. Poverty cannot be eradicated as long asthe Congress exists,” he said.
Giving a call for “Congress hathao”, he saidpoverty will disappear on its own if the Congress is removed.
Noting that the Congress only gave slogans for eradicationof poverty for generations but never took any step to ensure it, Modi said poorpeople have turned poorer and their leaders and ministers became richer.
The Congress as well as the BJD used poverty for politicsfor which a major part of the country and Odisha was in immense poverty fordecades.
As a result, Maoists are taking advantage of the situation,Modi said.
Hitting out at Congress over national security, the prime minister said “The chowkidar is fighting terrorists, while the Congress is working to dilute the powers of the armed forces.” He was apparently referring to Congress plan to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.