LIVE: Don't need a govt that can't protect its Army, says Modi

5.07 pm: Don’t need a govt that can’t protect its Army, says Modi Modi says, “More jawans were killed by terrorists that they were killed in wars. Pakistan has been beheading our soldiers. But Delhi govt is serving chicken biriyani to the Pakistani PM.” “A government that cannot safeguard its own army, then such a government is not needed,” says Modi. Modi asks if jawans to should allowed to die, the crowd shouts back in chorus, “No.” 5.00 pm: People will punish those who destroyed the country, says Modi Narendra Modi, today during a rally in Bihar’s Buxar hit out that the UPA saying the people not only want to vote for change but also want to punish those who destroyed the country. “This is the first time that before the elections were announced, the results were announced. This time the people of the country will not only vote for change and removing the Delhi govt, but also are in the mood to punish those who destroyed the country,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_1462699” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Narendra Modi. AFP[/caption]He said, “I have seen many polls, have done many jan sabhas. But this is the first poll that a political party is not fighting the polls. The whole country is fighting the polls.” 3:20 pm: Modi promises to provide basic amenities to all villages The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate criticised the Delhi and state government for failing to provide water to the villages in the country. “I say it in Nawada, I bring with me the promise to change this situation,” he said. Modi continued his criticism of the Congress-led UPA government for failure to provide succour to the farmers of the nation. He mocked the Congress for claiming to tackle corruption and questioned how the party could take the support of leaders like Adarsh housing scam accused, Ashok Chavan. Modi ended his speech after urging the state to send all the BJP candidates from the state to the Lok Sabha.  Despite expectations of a scathing attack on the Bihar Chief Minister and the JD(U), Modi stayed away from the subject altogether 3:15 pm: Modi attacks UPA govt for pink revolution In Bihar, Modi said he wants to serve the people of Bihar but then went on to attack the UPA government over its meat exports. “The Delhi government doesn’t want any kind of revolution. It wants a pink revolution,” he said. He said that those backing the UPA should consider whether they want to back a revolution in which they kill livestock. “In many parts of India there are big slaughterhouses. The Delhi government is not willing to subsidise a person who keeps a cow but if a person wants to set up a slaughterhouse he gets a subsidy,” Modi said.  12.05 pm: In Bihar, Modi expected to upstage Nitish The once invincible Nitish Kumar is looking increasingly vulnerable. Pro-Narendra Modi slogans were shouted by youth at one of his rallies today, a day after stones and chappals were thrown at his rallies in Nalanda district. [caption id=“attachment_1462175” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Kumar was again greeted with the same chants when he was returning after addressing the rally. It is against this backdrop that Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar will address near-simultaneous rallies in the state today, barely 25 km apart from each other. And the irony could not be more stark. Modi who was once not even allowed into Bihar during the tenure of the BJP-JD(U) government is being welcomed as the conquering hero. Nitish who was once the golden boy of Bihar, widely praised as its miracle working Chief Minister, finds himself isolated by everyone. According to author and historian Ramachandra Guha, “There is little doubt that Kumar turned around the narrative in Bihar. But despite that Kumar failed to get entrepreneurship in the state which is so lagging in industrialisation. Moreover, Kumar may have over-estimated his hold over some castes”. The turnout at both the rallies and the response to the speakers will be interesting to watch. But if Modi turns out to be the star attraction and Nitish the sideshow, the turnaround of Bihar will be complete. End of updates for 31 March 11:40 pm: Shoot films in Arunachal Pradesh instead of New Zealand, says Modi Don’t back a party that has failed to keep its promises to you, Modi told the audience to cheers. He also questioned why films that were shot in New Zealand weren’t shot in Arunachal Pradesh. " What natural beauty is lacking in this state," Modi asked. He also reiterated his plan to take police personnel from the northeast states to mainland India which he claims will increase the links between the mainland and the states. Modi told the audience to vote the BJP to power in the state and give the party two seats in the Lok Sabha and vowed to improve the condition of the state. 11:30 pm: Modi rakes up Italian marines issue, tells Sonia not to question patriotism Modi said that the Congress chose not to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s advice to disband the party after independence and said it hadn’t done so in order “Bapu was right. The country went into their hands and it has drowned,” he said. He also pointed out that while he had spoken about the Arunachal Pradesh youth killed in Delhi in a suspected racial attack, the Congress president hadn’t mentioned him in the state. “Did Sonia Gandhi say a word about that youth?…There is no concern about the youth of Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi. She has no concern at all,” Modi questioned how Sonia Gandhi could question the patriotism of people in backing the opposition. “Will Sonia Gandhi teach us patriotism? I pray to you madam, never question the patriotism of the 1,500 crore Indians in the country,” he said. Modi questioned who had allowed the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen to go back home. “On whose directions was the Indian government acting?” he said. The BJP leader also asked why hadn’t the two marines been kept in a jail. 11:20 pm: Congress trying to silence opposition in the state, says Modi Modi accused the opposition of attempting to scuttle the voice of the party in the state. Accusing the Chief Minister of the state of attempting to silence the party he said that once the government changed on 16 May, there would be no one to protect him. The PM candidate also sought accountability from the Congress government and said people should seek answers from the party on various scandals against it. “Instead of giving us answers on the questions we ask, they turn around and ask us questions. We need to understand this is a game by the Congress,” he said. He said there was a ‘mandi’ of the MLAs in the state. “We have heard of vegetable markets but MLA markets are visible only in this state,” he said. 11:15 am: Modi extols virtues of people of Arunachal Pradesh, promises to return love Speaking in Arunachal Pradesh, Modi said that the people of the state had the courage to take on aggression from any adversary. “People of Arunchal Pradesh are working hard to fight external forces trying to harm India,” he said. He promised to return the love of the people, which he said they had bestowed in the form of a traditional hornbill hat. End of updates for 30 March 14:30 pm: All tainted politicians must go to jail, says Modi The Congress has given a ticket to Ashok Chavan on the contention that the controversial leader, who lost his chief ministership over his alleged complicity in the Adarsh scam, has not been barred by any court or any law from contesting. This is a specious ground put forward by the Congress which continues to back corrupt candidates, says the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Modi then moves on to the topi of black money, promising to bring back black money stashed in bank accounts outside the country. “This money will be used for the people,” he says. Adarsh scam is about theft from India’s soldiers, says Modi This is the first time that Narendra Modi is taking on Ashok Chavan directly in Nanded. “I promise that those who committed the Adarsh scam will not be spared by the government,” Modi says. The Adarsh building controversy is expected to not have much resonance in Nanded, far removed from south Mumbia where the controversial building is located. “But this is not about one building in Mumbai,” Modi says cleverly. “The Adarsh scam is about theft from India’s soldiers.” 14:25 pm: Narendra Modi is now in Ashok Chavan’s hometown Nanded Modi is on a whirlwind tour of Maharashtra today. In Nanded, he says, “Does any brother steal from his sister? Do parents steal from children? Arrey there are parents who don’t take water in their daughter’s household. Here, you have a leader stealing what is his sister’s.” Modi is making a very snide reference to Congress leader Ashok Chavan, the candidate from Nanded. Sitting MP Khatgaonkar is Chavan’s brother-in-law. 12.45 pm: Gujarat’s people never believed the Congress, says Modi Shehzaada and Congress leaders came to Gujarat in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, Modi says. “Everyday they would release a new lie, but the people of Gujarat never believed them.” Now they are coming to Vidarbha and releasing more false promises. “Those who broke their promises, you must break your connection with them.” 12.40 pm: The Cong manifesto is not a ghoshna patra, it is a dhoka patra “Has anybody here got a job from the Delhi government?” The Congress is attempting to fool the people, Modi says. The Congress manifetso is another set of lies, he charges. This is a redux of several previous Modi speeches. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s  Jai Jawan Jai Kisan has been redefined to mean Mar JAwan, Mar Kisan, he says, referring to the killing of Indian soldiers in the border areas of Kashmir valley and the continuing farmer suicides. Shehzaada Rahul came to Vidarbha, but shouldn’t he tell you what he has done in 10 years, he asks. 12.35 pm: Gujarat also grows cotton, but no cotton crisis there Akola is in Vidarbha, one of the districts where there is a large cotton crop. Modi says the cotton cultivators’ crisis in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, can be easily solved. “Your Maharashtra averages about 324 kilos per hectare of cotton yield. In Gujarat, we produce 630 kilos  of cotton to a hectare,” he says. This is on account of better training, technology ans government assistance in skills and agriculture know-how for farmers, Modi contends. The ban on exports of cotton has further dealt a cruel blow to farmers, he adds. “But there is a subsidy for mutton exports, it is a conspiracy to kill off our animal husbandry wealth… This is the first government has started a pink revolution, which means the export of mutton.” Sunday, March 30, 12.30 pm: Modi is now in Akola, Maharashtra Modi starts his rally in Akola with wishes for Monday’s Gudi Padwa, in Marathi. The crowd is eating out of his hands as he touches on another highly emotive point, water. “I have been told you are not getting water,” he says, apologising for the inconvenience caused by the oppressive heat. The Modi wave will turn into a tsunami, he promises, then going on to rip the Congress’s promises from 2009 into shreds. Did you get water, did you get security for your womenfolk, did prices come down? “No, No!” the shouts go up. Who is responsible for your problems? “Congress!” the answer comes in loud unison. Only a Congress-mukt Bharat will give you mukti from your problems, Modi says. – end of updates for March 28 – 12: 45pm: Modi tells Rahul he’s proud to be called an ideology Among Modi’s suggestions include a high speed rail link to the national capital, which he claimed would bring about rapid progress. He also highlighted the lack of safety of women in the region and blamed the existing leaders for it and told the audience not to continue backing dynastic politics. “Congress leaders should listen carefully. In a interview Shehzaada said that Modi isn’t a person but an ideology. I am proud to be associated with one. Our ideology is to put nation before self,” he said. “Your whole family couldn’t battle against this ideology,” Modi said, adding that it was one based on sacrifice. 12:30 pm: Ajit Singh sitting in the lap of his father’s enemies, says Modi Modi in Baghpat is focussing on the plight of soldiers and farmers and attacked the UPA over failing to take care of these two groups. But in keeping with the theme of most of his speeches, Modi had his target picked and in this case it was RLD’s Ajit Singh. “Chaudhari Charan Singh had split away from the Congress for its failing to take care of farmers. He did it for the benefit of farmers… But his son is sitting in the lap of the Congress,” he said. Baghpat ko hawai neta nahin chahiye, zameeni neta chahiye (It needs a leader rooted to ground), Modi said. But while he was in full slow, Modi also faced technical difficulties when the microphone went dead abruptly. End of updates for 28 March 12:45 pm: Modi accuses Congress of being unaccountable, failing to curb corruption Speaking in Mandla, Modi is on a familiar theme and has blamed the Congress for being unaccountable to the people and failing to curb corruption. “Shouldn’t they be answerable to the people? Shouldn’t they have to explain their actions to the people,” he said. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate also accused the Congress of making false claims to tackle corruption. End of updates for 27 March 4:30 pm: Modi says Congress expects people to forget its earlier manifesto promises Extolling the virtues of tourism, Modi said the number of tourists to Gaya had reduced after the Gaya blasts and said the Bihar government hadn’t done enough to battle terrorism.   “They haven’t only resulted in the growth of terror groups but have also protected them,” Modi said. “Terrorism divides, tourism unites,” he said. Modi spoke about a dam that had begun construction in 1975 and on which Rs 800 crore had been spent, but said it was still stuck in red tape and if completed it would have resulted in more water for Bihar. He spoke again of the Congress manifesto and said that it had absolutely no sanctity and leaders counted on the fact that people would forget. “People won’t forget these promises any more,” he said. The party’s prime ministerial candidate listed various promises that had been made in the manifesto that hadn’t been fulfilled so far. 4:20 pm: Bihar govt won’t battle terrorism in order to retain vote bank, says Modi Modi talks about the history of Gaya and says that his victory will be one over  high prices, corruption and other evils in the country. He expectedly took on the Bihar government and claimed that it didn’t plan to take on terrorism seriously and was only interested in staying in power. “They have only one worry. It shouldn’t affect their vote bank. Bombs explode, terrorism may spread but these people only want to ensure they retain their seats of power. Such people have ruined the country,” Modi said. We will have to focus on ending terror in this country, he said, adding that those who had attempted to spread terror in Gaya had not only affected India but even other countries that worshipped Lord Buddha. 4.10 pm: Commotion at Modi’s Gaya rally as crowds enter media enclosure Bihar Police had to resort to mild lathicharge at BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in Gaya as supporters gathered at the venue broke into the enclosure reserved for media. The rally, however, continued after BJP leaders appealed for peace and order. 3.30 pm: ‘Cong removed Narendra Rawat as he is a Dalit’ Modi took on the Congress saying they withdrew Narendra Rawat from the Vadodara seat, from where he is also contesting, as he is a Dalit. “Congress changed Vadodara candidate because he is a Dalit… attitude against Dalits is exemplified by this. I will fight for this candidate,” Modi said. Interestingly, Modi was speaking in Sasaram, the constituency of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who is a Dalit and will contest on the Congress ticket again. 3.19 pm: Gujarat has 24X7 electricity, what has happened in Bihar? “If Bihar does not move ahead, how can India move ahead?” Speaking of how he provided Gujarat with 24x7 electric supply, Modi said Gujarat’s industries and those living in villages have benefited by having power even during dinner time. “This should be made possible in Bihar too,” he said. 3.14 pm: Sonia, Rahul care about poor only during elections Taking on the top Congress leadership again, Modi hit out at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul saying they only cared about the poor when elections were round the corner. “Want to ask those who remember poor during elections,what did you do when SC directed you to distribute food grains to the poor? If Sonia, Rahul had any worry for the poor, they would have distributed food grains to them as directed by the Supreme Court.” 3.10 pm: Modi in Sasaram, invokes Vajpayee again BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi continued to invoke veteran party leader Vajpayee saying he had a vision - to interlink Bihar rivers and had this been done, it would’ve avoided floods  and droughts in the state. 12:20 pm: Manifestos like the Congress cannot be used to fool people, says Modi Claiming that the Congress had attempted to deceive people with its manifesto, Modi said that they had failed to deliver on their promises in 2004 and 2009. “A manifesto, for any party, is a sacred document. It should not fool people, like Congress,” Modi said. 12:10 pm: Modi blames ‘Jayanthi tax’ for affecting India’s industries Modi has claimed the presence of a ‘Jayanthi tax’ which had stalled development in the country. “If you didn’t pay this Jayanthi tax then your file wouldn’t go forward,” Modi said, alluding to former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan. Don’t expect the former minister to take too kindly to the BJP leader’s words. He claimed that while India’s industrial sector had stalled thanks to this ’tax’, he claimed that in Gujarat they had a far better policy in place in his home state which had resulted in more royalties and greater growth. Modi claimed that his home state has learnt how good policy could eliminate corruption but it wasn’t something the government in Delhi had realised. 11:40 pm: Jharkhand wouldn’t have been there if BJP hadn’t come to power Speaking in Gumla, Jharkhand the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate says that the state wouldn’t have come into being if it weren’t for the BJP government at the centre between 1999-2004. “There was a chief minister in Bihar who said that this state would be created only over his dead body. But where is he now? See the benefits of having a strong government at the Centre,” he said. He blamed the Congress for not setting up a separate ministry to take care of adivasis and said only the BJP had worked for their benefit. 6:00 pm: In UP, Modi says Muslims ignored by both parties  Continuing his development theme in the impoverished UP district which has a sizeable Muslim population, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate charged Congress and other parties were using the bogey of secularism for their “vote-bank” politics while he was talking about everbody’s progress. “I want to challenge them today. The Prime Minister announced that loans and employment would be provided to Muslim youths. Even ‘Shehzade (Rahul Gandhi)’ spoke about it at different places,” Modi said at a public meeting. According to a government’s reply in Rajya Sabha, he said, “in the last three years, not a single penny was given to anybody. You (Congress) are spoiling the life of Muslim youths in the name of secularism”. As many as 15 out of these 90 districts are from UP. He said it has become a fashion nowadays that when he speaks about development, employment generation or decreasing the crime rate, his detractors start asking questions on secularism. “There is a new fashion theses days. If Modi says the country needs development, my detractors say what will happen to secularim? If Modi says youth should get employment, they say what will happen to secularism? Modi says crimes rate should be less. They say what will happen to secularism?” he said. [caption id=“attachment_1452141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Asking the people if they don’t need employment and better life, Modi said his rivals do not have any answer to their concerns. “And that is why they roam around with this chant of secularism, secularism just to win elections,” Modi said. Modi also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi and said “while the “Shahzaada” in Congress says the party was about a “soch” (thought) but in reality the party was actually in the “soch” of how a tea seller has reached such great heights”. The Gujarat Chief Minister said that in this election, on one side there is a “Shehzada” while on the other a tea vendor (“chai-walla”). “They may be a big name, but I am hard worker,” he said. 2:00 pm: In Jammu, Modi calls Varanasi competitor anti-national BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today for the first time spoke about the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal at a rally and claimed that the party and its leaders were anti-national in their approach. The attack on AAP came a day after Kejriwal announced that he would contest against Modi from the Varanasi constituency. Modi claimed that there were ’three AKs’ that were widely praised in Pakistan: one of them is the AK-47 assault rifle and the second is defence minister AK Antony for claiming intruders into Kashmir only wore Pakistan Army uniforms despite the fact that they were from the army. “The third is AK-49. This man has just given birth to a party. On the party’s official website, the map has given off Kashmir to Pakistan,” he said. This man has an associate who says a referendum should be held in Kashmir and Pakistan is dancing about it, he said, and accused the party of working in the interests of Pakistan. They are Pakistani and anti-national agents, he said. “We don’t need to identify them but we need to acknowledge them,” he said. In his second major rally in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Modi blamed the Congress-led UPA government of failing to take care of either army personnel or farmers in the country. “What is the present Congress-led UPA government doing? Our jawans heads are getting chopped off,” Modi said, adding that the party had even failed to take care of the nation’s farmers. He said the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan’ had been modified to ‘Mar Jawan, Mar Kisaan’ by the present UPA government which didn’t care about either of them. He claimed the Congress was refusing to take him on the agenda of development and it constantly hid behind the excuse of secularism. “I talk of price rise, they say tak about secularism,” he said, adding that no matter what issue he tried to talk about, the opposition only insisted on speaking about secularism. “The government that has no answers for the questions of the people has no right to hide behind the fake cloak of secularism,” he said. He also criticised dynastic politics and blamed it for the current condition of the country. “We have to make Kashmir and India free of this dynastic politics,” he said. He spoke of migration from Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits being forced out from the valley and said that the government had no right to stay in power if it failed to prevent it. “In our country Bangladeshis are able to settle and even vote but these refugees from Pakistan are not able to even be acknowledged as citizens after they move here,” Modi said. He said that it was a pressing need to ensure they were provided citizenship. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate also criticised Rahul Gandhi without naming him and said that his claim that ‘Congress was an idea’ was a flawed one. “We will ensure that Kashmir gets it rights and progresses,” he said. He blamed the Congress for failing to give backward classes their rights and said he would ensure it was corrected. “Have faith in me if you don’t want to live in the same conditions that your parents have lived in,” he said. “You have survived and tolerated Congress or Congress-linked governments for 60 years but just give me a chance for 60 months, he said. “The country needs a chowkidaar. Give me the job for just 60 months,” he said. Modi claimed that he had only philosophy and that was of progress. “Every problem’s solution is in one herb and that herb is development,” he said.