'Everyone is looking to Modi with hope': Rajnath Singh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Saturday urged the people to bless his party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and said India's future can only be changed with the blessings of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

Singh welcomed Modi on his first visit to Uttar Pradesh after being announced as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate

"Everyone is looking towards Narendra Modi with hope, he needs your blessings. Till we have the blessings of UP, we can't change the future of India," he said.

Singh said Kanpur is a very historical place, and added that many freedom fighters were born here.

"Till we have the blessings of the people of UP, we can't change the future of India," he added.

The BJP President also lashed out at the UPA Government over recent incidents of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).

"We can't choose our neighbours, but cordial relations can't be achieved at such a high cost," he said.

Singh also used the occasion to target the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

"Why have all the industries in Kanpur shutdown? The Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party are responsible for it. There is no employment for the youth. The Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have created this situation in Kanpur," he said.

Singh accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party of trying to run its government based on communal riots.

"No other state has seen so many communal riots. It has become a 'danga' party," he said.

Singh appealed to the people to above caste, creed and religion and vote for Modi.

"Everyone believes that in 2014, the BJP will form the government and Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister," he said.

"We do not need to tell anyone what Narendra Bhai has done in Gujarat. Gujarat made a name for good governance," he added.

Uttar Pradesh - which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, almost a seventh of the 543-member House - has the potential to make or break Modi's Delhi dream.

The BJP, which currently has only 10 MPs from Uttar Pradesh, is taking no chances.

The rally, which has been named as 'Vijaya Sankhanaad', has a separate gallery for youth, which has been set up close to the dais where Modi would be speaking.

Modi's supporters have turned out in large numbers for today's rally.

The holding of the rally in Kanpur, which is widely regarded as a bastion of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), is being projected as a crucial strategic move to snare as many Lok Sabha seats as possible out of the total 80 seats that are up for grabs in Uttar Pradesh during next year's general election.