Modi launches all-out attack on Cong, says it has no issues, cannot take him on

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the Gandhi family Saturday, saying the opposition party was dragging his mother into the political slugfest as it did not have any real issue and could not fight him.

Addressing rallies in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls will be held on November 28, Modi said farmers in the country would have been better off if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the first prime minister.

He also attacked former prime minister Indira Gandhi over the "false promise" of "Garibi Hatao" (remove poverty) and the "fraud" of bank nationalisation, while targeting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for running the government through a "remote control".

Speaking at Chhattarpur, Modi said the Congress was "abusing" his nonagenarian mother as it was bereft of issues.

Congress leader Raj Babbar had compared the falling value of Indian rupee with the advanced age of Modi's mother Hiraben during poll campaigning.

"Those in the Congress, you do not have the strength to fight Modi. In the last 17-18 years, I have challenged you at every instance and defeated you. And you are dragging my mother into politics? Does this behove the Congress and its leaders?," the prime minister asked.

"When you do not have issues, when there is a bankruptcy of issues and arrogance is sky-high, only then one dares to abuse someone else's mother," he said.

Saying he was speaking in "pain", Modi added, "After all, their weapons to target Modi have failed...they are now hurling abuses at Modi's mother, who does not understand even R of 'rajniti' (politics)."
Attacking the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, he said, "Madam's (Sonia Gandhi) government had opened the doors of the banks for big industrialists, but we opened the banks for the people and sanctioned loans to 14.50 crore under the Mudra Yojna."
Speaking at Mandsaur, which had witnessed an intense agitation by farmers for better prices for their produce last year, the prime minister said, "Generations of farmers have suffered due to the sins and wrong policies of the Congress."