Rajnath blames Cong's policies for poverty

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday blamed the wrong policies of the Congress for the poverty prevailing in the country and said the day India became "Congress-mukt", there would be no poverty.

"The country is facing the problems of backwardness and poverty because of the wrong policies of the Congress...the day India becomes Congress-mukt, it will be free from poverty," he said addressing an election meeting here in favour of Sanghamitra Maurya, the BJP candidate from Badaun in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Singh claimed that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh had accepted defeat in the election after the first phase of polling and that was why these parties were raising questions on the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

"These three parties could not win by contesting separately and so, they have come together, despite their differences...but this alliance will be blown away by the (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi storm," he said.

The home minister also took a dig at the anti-BJP alliance, saying the situation was such that RLD chief Ajit Singh had to climb on to the dais at a joint rally of the Opposition after removing his footwear.

On the opposition parties raising questions about the casualty figures in the Balakot airstrike, Singh said, "Brave are the ones who move forward after attacking the rival...the brave do not count dead bodies.