Modi says SP going soft on Congress, hints at rift in UP's grand alliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of going soft on the Congress, implying a rift in the SP-BSP opposition alliance against the BJP in UP.

Addressing a BJP rally here, Modi said while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati is attacking the Congress, a Congress leader is sharing the stage with the SP. The apparent reference was to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s presence at a Samajwadi Party meeting in Rae Bareli on Thursday.            

“The SP is going soft on the Congress, but its alliance partner BSP chief Mayawati is attacking the Congress,” he said.
Modi said the Congress has been reduced to the status of ‘vote katwa’ party for cutting the votes of other parties and it will soon witness its downfall.

Attempting to draw a wedge in the SP-BSP-RLD alliance, Modi claimed that BSP chief Mayawati has understood that the SP and the Congress are playing a “big game” with her.

“Now, this is clear that the SP has derived mileage from Mayawati through the gathbandhan. She was kept in dark. There were talks about respect. It was said that you (Mayawati) will be made the prime minister, but now Behenji has understood that the SP and the Congress are playing a big game with her,” he said.

Modi said there are dangers of corruption, opportunism, casteism, dynastic politics and non-governance from this alliance.
He claimed that the Congress chief had admitted in a interview that his only aim is to tarnish the image of Modi.

Accusing the Congress and its president of attempting to tarnish his image over the Rafale issue, he took a jibe at former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
 
"Your father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as 'Bhrastachari number 1' (corrupt number 1)," Modi said.