Hitting out at the Opposition alliance after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad mocked him as a person who did not have a family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 4 said the country’s “140 crore people” were his family and he was working day and night for their development.
“Mera Bharat, Mera Parivar” (My India, My family), he declared and said the entire country was speaking in one voice - “I am Modi’s family”.
“The farmers and the poor are my family. I have dedicated myself to empower them,” Mr. Modi emphasised at a public meeting of the BJP in Chennai, adding for those who did not have a family, he was their relative and vice versa. On his call, the party cadre, who filled up the YMCA grounds in Nandanam, joined along to chant “Naan Dhaan Modiyin Kudumbam” (I am Modi’s family).
On the other hand, according to him, parties such as the DMK and Congress believed in the motto of “family first” and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders have made it a habit to repeatedly abuse his family. “But I keep saying ‘Nation First’. Hence, the INDIA bloc has come up with a new formula to abuse me. They say Modi has no family. Do those who have a family get the licence for corruption?,” he wondered.
Mr. Modi alleged that the Congress, its ally DMK, and the INDIA parties were “soaked in corruption and dynastic politics”.
Referring to Monday’s Supreme Court judgment holding there was no immunity from prosecution for lawmakers indulging in corruption, the Prime Minister said he welcomed it. According to him, this verdict has left the INDIA bloc and its leaders worried. “Their tears are not drying up, they are afraid and trembling,” he said, charging these parties with being “incapable of thinking beyond their families”.
“Those in the INDIA bloc have, for decades, been in the politics of loot. Because of them, the youth of the country are keeping away from politics,” he charged and further contended that the apex court verdict would give a push for “swachch rajneethi” (clean politics). Citing the Swachch Bharat mission, he said he believed in cleaning up, and for this he needed the blessings of the people.
Mr. Modi said the nature of parties perpetuating dynastic politics was that they “have no connect” with hard work. “So dynasty also brings in arrogance. And when a dynast occupies a government post, he thinks the country and people are his slaves and forgets the importance of the post,” he said.
Without directly referring to the Sanatana Dharma controversy of Tamil Nadu Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin, he said the Supreme Court had on Monday posed uncomfortable questions to “a DMK dynast and Minister”. He said “insulting the beliefs of crores of people is also the nature and habit of dynasts.” He regretted that those with such arrogance continued to hold key positions in the Tamil Nadu government.
