Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of using fake news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today mocked the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, saying the party "can't think of bringing about development in the state" as it had "three chief ministerial candidates, each pulling the others down". Apparently, he was referring to Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia - three top Congress leaders in the state.
In a video interaction with party workers from five Lok Sabha seats, Prime Minister Modi claimed, "The Congress has three chief ministerial candidates and over a dozen others are in queue".
In August, the Congress had announced a 32-member election committee for Madhya Pradesh to accommodate all its important leaders in the state such as Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, member of parliament from Guna Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress legislature party leader Ajay Singh, Ratlam lawmaker Kantilal Bhuria, among others.
"When more than dozen people have chief ministerial ambitions, then they cannot think of people's development. You should expose their lies in front of the public," he told BJP workers.
He further asserted that Madhya Pradesh had been transformed from a "bimaru" (sick) to "bemisal" (unparalleled) state by the BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The Prime Minister claimed seeing in a TV programme that over 90 per cent of first time female voters, who had taken part in an event in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, supported the BJP.
Attacking the Congress, he alleged that the party was resorting to "fake news", using "photos from Pakistan and Bangladesh" to discredit the state government.
To a question from a party worker about how to respond to "disinformation against the BJP by the Congress", PM Modi said they should treat it like "entertainment".
"You should enjoy it. Don't be serious," he said in a lighter vein.
When a BJP worker introduced himself as "Rajkumar", PM Modi used it to take a subtle dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying that at times he avoids "Rajkumars (princes)".
He also urged BJP workers to stay humble, adding that the Congress and the Left were brought down by their "arrogance".