UPA government has become a burden, threat to country: Modi

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Saturday charged the Congress-led UPA central government with becoming a burden and threat to the country.

Addressing a "Bharat Vijay" rally in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, actress Kirron Kher here, Modi said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was unable to provide security to the country and had failed on all fronts.

"This government has become a burden on the country. This government has become a threat for the country. The country is not secure with such a government which cannot protect its soldiers who are being beheaded (by Pakistan). Can the country be secure with such a government?" he said.

Taking a dig at the Congress, Modi said: "Mahatma Gandhi wanted to disband the Congress after independence. But the Congress leaders did not listen to him also. Mahatma Gandhi's dream will be fulfilled in this election."

Tearing into Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's remark on the BJP's "India Shining" balloon bursting in previous elections, he contended that the Congress had tried its best to burst the Gujarat development balloon but the people had rejected its move.

Slamming the Congress for not addressing the real issues of development and corruption, Modi said: "If this country has to progress, we will have to give good governance. Bad governance is like diabetes. It can finish everything.

"Congress does not want to resolve the issue (of corruption). They have admitted that corruption cannot be tackled."

Questioning the Congress on fielding controversial former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal from the Chandigarh seat again, Modi said: "I want to ask the Congress why they removed Pawan Bansal from the union government. Why have you brought him in as a candidate? What happened to the railway scam?"

He said that the Congress had fielded candidates like Bansal and Ashok Chavan, whose names figured in the railway scam and Adarsh scam in Mumbai respectively.