Assembly elections will confirm PM is not popular anymore: NCP

Training its guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday said the upcoming five state assembly elections would confirm that the former's popularity, which was there in 2014, is no more.

"The Prime Minister is not realising and is still under the impression that there is a positive environment of the BJP. The Prime Minister's performance in the last two-two and a half years have been very negative. The people are now gradually losing faith in him. The upcoming five state assembly polls would confirm that his popularity which was there in 2014 is no more," NCP leader Tariq Anwar told ANI.

As Punjab goes to polls on February 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday openly called the Congress a 'sinking boat', adding that it has lost its identity.

Terming the grand old party 'a thing of the past', Prime Minister Modi said it is in a bad shape and nobody knows the colour, form and intention of this party.

"In order to save itself, the Congress is resorting to 'give us anything at any cost'," said Prime Minister Modi while addressing a campaigning rally here.

Blatantly hitting out at the Congress, the Prime Minister said that the party allied with the Left in West Bengal for its survival and then taking advantage of the Samajwadi Party (SP) feud, allied with it as well in Uttar Pradesh.

"Congress, at first, badmouthed the SP in UP, but after seeing the conflict within the party, allied with them," said Prime Minister Modi.

Drawing an analogy, Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress was struggling for power in a similar way as a fish does without water.

Batting for Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as the deserving chief of the state, Prime Minister Modi said, "Punjab wants to see Parkash Singh Badal as the Chief Minister again. He has always worked for Punjab."

Showering praises on Badal, Prime Minister Modi said the former spent years in public life but never changed parties or compromised on ideals.

"For Badal 'Sahab', what matters is the poor, the farmers, the villages," he added.

With BJP-Akali Dal alliance for Punjab Assembly elections, Prime Minister Modi strongly campaigned for Badal, asserting that he is the right person to rule the state.