Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is yet to respond to former French President Francois Hollande’s statement about choosing Reliance for offset contract in Rafale deal, accused the Congress of tying up with foreign countries to influence domestic politics.

After losing power, the Congress seemed to have lost its balance as well, he charged.

Addressing a rally of BJP workers in Bhopal on Tuesday, September 25, Modi said: “Yeh party Hindustan mein gathbandhan karne mein safal nahi ho rahi hai isliye Bharat ke bahar gathbandhan khoja ja raha hai. Duniya ke desh ab tay karenge ki Bharat mein PM kaun hoga?Congress party kya haal ho gaya hai aapka?Kya satta khone ke baad aapne santulan bhi kho diya? (Failing to tie up with parties within the country, this party is looking for allies abroad. Will countries of the world decide who will become India’s PM? What condition have you been reduced to, Congress? Have you lost your balance after losing power?).”

Inclusive development has to replace “votebank politics”, said Modi. “Sabka sath sabka vikas is not just a promise. It’s a well-thought of plan for millions of Indians. Anyone who is left behind because of any reason has to be brought ahead,” he said, referring to his government’s slogan of development for all.

Modi said that the UPA  treated people of BJP-ruled states as enemies and it was now time to punish the Congress for the ill-treatment meted out to the state by its government.

“Congress never ever thought about the welfare of Madhya Pradesh. Only if they would have thought, when they were in power for such a long time at Centre, they would have added to the state’s progress. Sadly, they only believe in vote-bank politics,” Modi said.

The prime minister added, “Vote bank politics has destroyed our country like termites. It is the BJP’s duty to save the country from the destruction in 70 years of independence.”

“Even in the Islamic nations across the world, Triple Talaq is not accepted. But here due to vote-bank politics, the party that is led by a woman is not worried about my Muslim sisters who are victims of Triple Talaq,” PM Modi said.

Attacking the Congress party for abusing him, Modi said, “Congress has invested its energy in abusing me. They have not left any abuse found in the dictionary. Ask your advisor, as much mud you throw, lotus will blossom.”

Modi said that it is a matter of pride for the party to be the world’s largest political outfit. “We are proud of the fact that BJP has a government in 19 states of the country. UPA government never allowed a BJP-led state to function. Congress has only divided the nation. We have to eliminate the politics of votebank,” PM Modi.

In an apparent reference to Congress’s allegations on Rafale deal, the prime minister further said, “Opposition indulges in mud-slinging because it finds it easier than debating on issues like development.”

BJP chief Amit Shah also launched a blistering attack on Congress at the event meant to be the party’s show of strength ahead of the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh.

Terming Manmohan Singh-led UPA government a ‘failure’, Shah said that Rahul Gandhi is just ‘daydreaming’ of winning polls.

The ‘Karyakarta Mahakumbh’ (grand assembly of party workers), is being held on the occasion of birth anniversary of Hindutva icon and Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) co-founder Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.

The event, organised at Jambooree Maidan in the BHEL locality, is said to be the “world’s largest congregation of political workers,” state BJP spokesman Sarvesh Tiwari said.

The venue was named “Atal Mahakumbh Parisar” in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away in New Delhi in August.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, party organisational general secretary Ramlal and central and state ministers and other senior leaders also attended the congregation.

BJP workers from 65,000 polling booths spread across the 230 Assembly seats in the state were called to take part in the programme, said Rajnish Agrawal, another state BJP spokesman. An exhibition hall named after BJP leader and former Union minister, late Anil Madhav Dave, has also been set up at the rally site.

Close to 12,000 buses and 8,000 private vehicles were engaged to ferry party workers for the mega rally. The party has booked nine special trains from different parts of the state to bring BJP workers for the event, Agrawal said.

The party also installed 45 LED screens to telecast the speeches of PM Modi, Amit Shah and others. A makeshift office was built on the side of the stage, where the visiting leaders would have consultations with the party state functionaries. Arrangement for lunch has been made for the party workers in a separate pandal.

In the exhibition, BJP and BJS stalwarts — Upadhyaya, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Vajpayee, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and Kushabhau Thakre – were depicted as the five strong pillars of the BJP. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), established in 1980, is the successor party of the BJS.

Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the high-profile event and also Modi’s visit.

“We have made adequate security arrangements for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday by deploying nearly 6,000-strong force, including 4,000 personnel from the central and reserve forces,” Inspector General (IG) Bhopal Jaideep Prasad told PTI.

Nearly 22 senior IPS officers have been deployed to coordinate security details, he said. Along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram will also go to polls by the year-end.

The BJP program comes days after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited the state capital. Gandhi held a roadshow and later addressed Congress workers and office-bearers during his September 17 visit. Both the national parties are in poll campaign mode in the state, where the BJP is in power since 2003. While the saffron outfit will seek a fourth straight term in office in the year-end elections, the Congress will look to wrest power from the BJP in a state which was once its stronghold.