PM Modi in Chhattisgarh: 5 key takeaways from Prime Minister's campaign rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a rally in Chhattisgarh's Bastar where he touched upon a range of issues while also highlighting the shortcomings of the Opposition.

Addressing the BJP's 'Vijay Sankalp Sankhnad' rally in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, which will go to polls on April 19, he also said the Congress' manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections has the imprint of the Muslim League.

Here are five key takeaways from Modi's rally:

- Hitting out at the former government of Chhattisgarh ruled by the Congress, PM Modi said, "During the Congress regime, corruption had become the country's identity, and the party thought it had a licence to loot. Since Independence, Congress overlooked needs of the poor for decades and never understood their pain"

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- Recalling the pandemic period, the prime minister said, "People said what will happen to the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I said I will give free vaccine and ration to them," adding that "due to my government's efforts, 25 crore people have risen above the poverty line"

- Speaking at the rally in Chhote Ambal village, held in support of BJP candidates Mahesh Kashyap (Bastar) and Bhojraj Nag (Kanker), Modi said it is the poor that suffer most due to corruption. "Corruption destroys the rights of the poor. Before 2014, scams worth several lakh crore rupees were committed," he said, adding that former PM Rajiv Gandhi himself had admitted just 15 paise out of every rupee allotted for development work reached the rightful beneficiary

- Modi said the Congress and other opposition parties were holding rallies to save the corrupt but they must understand that wrongdoers will go to jail no matter how much they threaten him. "This is Modi's guarantee," the prime minister said

- Slamming the Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents for declining the invite to the idol consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Modi said, "Ram Navami festival is not far away. This time people will have a glimpse of our Ram Lalla in Ayodhya in a grand temple not in a tent"

With inputs from PTI