Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Sunday said the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are about saving democracy, as he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of following "dictators" in preaching nationalism.
He said people will not be "lured and fooled" by BJP's talk of nationalism and will change the government at the Centre for good of the country.
Rajasthan, where the Congress ousted the BJP from power in the assembly elections last year, has 25 Lok Sabha seats out of which 13 are going to polls Monday, and the rest 12 will vote on May 6.
"Democracy is in danger under the Modi government. Saving democracy is our biggest challenge in this election. To save democracy, people should understand the allurements of BJP and not get misled by their false promises," Gehlot told PTI in an interview.
Training his guns on the PM, Gehlot alleged Modi is "misleading" people in the name of nationalism. "Every dictator in the world used nationalism for his benefits. Modi is following their footsteps by raising nationalism as the only issue. People should be cautious of this trap."
"BJP MPs should also talk about their failures to fulfill the promises the party made in the 2014 elections -- two crore jobs a year, eliminating terrorism, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, retrieving all black money stashed abroad, among so many other things," he said, adding "The entire country should understand their (BJP's) jumlebaazi (rhetoric) and vote out this government."
Asked about the much-touted opposition unity, Gehlot said, "The BJP is mistaken if it thinks the opposition unity has dissipated. There are prepoll alliances and there are post-poll alliances. Post-poll alliances will happen. One thing is clear: the Modi government is going."
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