Madam ran 'remote-control' govt in Delhi: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a whirlwind tour of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, intensified his attack on the Congress, saying that Madam (Sonia Gandhi) remotely controlled the Central government for 10 years.

"For 10 years, there was a remotely controlled government in Delhi with Madam (Sonia Gandhi) controlling it," he said while addressing an election rally here. The campaigning for the assembly elections is at its peak in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls on November 28.

"For 10 years Madhya Pradesh had to fight with the Centre. If we would have got full 15 years to govern, Madhya Pradesh would have been the state of your dreams by now," he said, asking the people to recall how the Congress government at the Centre created all sorts of hurdles for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Prime Minister Modi said that if the comparison has to be made, the 15 years' rule of the BJP would stand out as compared to the 55 years' rule of the Congress.

"If the people work for 10 hours, then I will work for 11 hours for the country's development. We are committed to the welfare of poor people and this has been the mantra of the BJP," he added.

With the November 28 assembly poll date inching closer, campaign rallies, characterized by political mud-slinging in efforts to undermine one another, are their peak, with the BJP and the Congress leaving nothing unturned to score over each other.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has held the position since 2005 and is eyeing a fourth consecutive term, is contesting from Budhni constituency, which has become his bastion since he was first elected to the state assembly from the seat in 1990.

The Congress, which has been out of power in the state since 2004, has fielded Arun Yadav to challenge the three-time chief minister's dominance. The results for the state assembly elections will be declared on December 11.