Pithoragarh: Asserting that he will not rest till those who looted the country paid back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked the voters in Uttarakhand to give exemplary punishment in the polls to people who ruined their future.
He launched a frontal attack on Congress for “insulting” the armed forces by questioning the surgical strikes, “sleeping” over OROP for 40 years and for “indulging” in corruption.
“The time for those who looted the country for 70 years has come to an end. I promise that those who looted the country will have to pay back now. Neither will I rest nor will I let the looters rest in peace till this task is complete. It is time everyone gives an account now,” Modi told his last poll rally in Pithoragarh ahead of the February 15 election.
He exhorted the people to vote out the “tainted” Congress government that sullied ‘devbhoomi’s’ image turning it into a “lootbhoomi” and “ruined” the state due to its lack of vision to tap its full potential.
He also hit out at Congress accusing it of opposing Uttarakhand’s creation and said it has now aligned with SP the government of which in Uttar Pradesh then committed atrocities on people agitating for the state’s formation.
Modi asked the people to take a pledge to hand down exemplary punishment in the polls to those who played with their future so that no future government dares to do so.
Describing Uttarakhand as a land of the brave soldiers, he attacked Congress for questioning the veracity of the surgical strikes, which, he said, “insulted the armed forces and the valour of those who made supreme sacrifice for the country”.
“It is a misfortune of our country that some parties and leaders raise questions about our armed forces and the valour of those who laid down their lives for the country. No one should ever question their bravery,” he said.
Terming the cross-LoC strikes as a “big incident” in military history which various security agencies across the world are studying, he said when Indian soldiers carried out the operation and demolished terrorist camps without losing a single life, Congress posed several questions including how no one was killed in the attack.
“Does it behove Congress to do this. Is this not an insult to the armed forces? Is this not an insult to the valour of our brave soldiers? You do politics and attack Modi as much as you can, but don’t ever raised doubts about our military and the soldiers’ bravery,” he said.
Attacking Congress for “sleeping over” the one-rank one- pension (OROP) issue for 40 long years, Modi said, “Did they not insult the armed forces by ignoring the soldiers’ claims for so long.
“Did they not make fun and insulted the armed forces by earmarking a mere Rs 500 crore in the budget for OROP which would have cost a total of Rs 12,500 crore. Our government has already paid Rs 6,500 crore to the soldiers as OROP benefit,” he said.
Earlier, addressing a rally at GITI Maidan in Shrinagar, Modi said Congress had no vision for growth even though the state had great potential in tourism and allied sectors.
“It is three months since demonetisation happened but they are still abusing me. Don’t you think I should make those who have looted this country ruthlessly by taking away the poor’s share and exploited the middle-class for 70 years pay back.
“I won’t sit relaxed until I have made them do so. I have waged a war against corruption and black money for the sake of the poor and nothing can make me step back. I am ready to face anything for the sake of the country’s poor,” he said.
Asking people to give his party a chance to drive it to new heights of development in Uttarakhand over the next five years, he said, “Have you ever thought why despite having such great potential Uttarakhand has lagged behind Chattisgarh and Jharkhand which were created together by Atal Bihari Vajpayee?