Author: India Today Online
Publication: India Today
Date: December 15, 2013
URL: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-rajnath-singh-bjp-shanknaad-rally-in-dehradun/1/331346.html

The Congress is hypocritical on its stand in the Lokpal Bill, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Sunday attacking Rahul Gandhi's plea for the passage of the anti-corruption legislation in parliament. 

A Congress neta-ji (referring to Rahul Gandhi) held a press conference yesterday and gave a lecture on Lokpal Bill," Modi , the chief minister of Gujarat, said at a BJP rally in Uttarakhand capital Dehradun.

"I want to ask him a question: If you are so worried about corruption, I want to ask you: During the tenure of (then Uttarakhand chief minister) B.C. Khanduri, a Lokpal bill was made and after reading it, Anna Hazare congratulated Khanduri.

Tell me, if you like the Lokpal so much, why did your party not allow it to be implemented in Uttarakand?" he said amid loud cheers from the crowd.

'Wave for Congress-free India'

Modi said the BJP's win in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi polls was an indication of wave against the Congress.

"There were polls in five states and the direction of the wind is clear. People of the country have made a start for a Congress-free nation. I see it happening all across.

"Just trust us once, trust BJP once. I want to assure you that your dreams will be our determination, your needs will be our responsibility," he said.

'I was forced to leave Uttarakhand during the floods'

Modi said he was pained by the Congress government's refusal to allow him to visit flood-hit areas in Uttarakhand in June.

"I am pained at how heartless politics can be so that one is not allowed to even share grief with loved ones, one is not allowed to wipe their tears?" he said.

"Brothers and sisters, in that time of pain, I came running to Uttarkahnd but political heartlessness forced me go away from here. That pain is still hurts my heart and mind."

'Congress must stop targeting Baba Ramdev'

Modi also backed Baba Ramdev and accused the Congress of hounding the Haridwar-based yoga guru.

"The amount of strength they are putting behind Baba Ramdev, if half of it they had put behind the flood victims, the people would have been so wretched," he said.

"Baba Ramdev is asking people to breathe and the Congress is losing its breath," he said.

"He has spent his life for people and the nation. But not a day passes when a case is not registered against him. Is this democracy?" Modi said.

'Vajpayee created Uttarakand, Congress destroyed it'

He said the people f the state were indebted to Atal Bihari Vajpayee since he gave them Uttarakahnd. "Then the Congress came to power in the state. But Vajpayee did not differentiate with the state. He gave the state a 10-year economic package. But look what the UPA government has done? It has taken away the benefits Vajpayee gave you."

The Congress, he said, wanted people to stay poor so that their governments' keep running.

"Why youth forced to leave this beautiful state to live in shanties in big cities of other states?"

*'Uttarakahnd should draw tourists like Mecca'

Modi said the Uttarakahnd government had failed to tap the tourism potential of the state.

Citing the example of Mecca, he said the Islamic holy city in Saudi Arabia did not get many tourists 30 years ago since the facilities were not that good.

"But today, if there is one place in the world where most number of people converge it is Mecca," he said.

Likewise, he said all Indians wanted to come to the holy state of Uttarakahnd once in his lifetime.

He said with proper initiatives, "not only India, we can bring the world to the feet of Uttarkhand".

He said there should train connectivity to Uttarakhand from all across the country. "Shouldn't there not be a train from Kerala, won't it boost tourism? The government only wants trains to come to Delhi," he said.

He said the government wanted t set up Special Economic Zones (SEZs). "But Uttarakand has been for a SEZ for centuries. My definition of SEZ is Spiritual Environment Zone."

He said there is much scope for adventure sports in the state. "Are there schools for adventure sports? Shouldn't there be camps in every village? People three times the population of the state come where? Why should youth have to go out?"

He said terrorism divided but tourism united people.

Uttarakhand has been SEZ for years- a Spiritual Environment Zone. Lot can be done to draw more pilgrims & tourists to this beautiful state.
 
Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2013
'Hardly any Gujaratis in the army'

Modi said that unlike Uttakhand, it was not in the nature of people of Gujarat to don the uniform much.

"This land gives the nation the power of security. In every family, every village of the state, there is a tradition of soldiers sacrificing their lives for the nation.

Go to the army with pride, such youth come from this land. But should the youth of Kumoan and Garhwal spend their lives as just soldiers? How long will this go on? Can't my brave soldiers from Kumoan and Garhwal become officers in the army or not?

There is a shortage of officers in the army.

Should there not be schools, colleges and universities here that groom such brave officers?
If that youth from such schools goes strait to the army, can't he become officer? There can be so much change in the life here.

But people sitting in Delhi do not understand this.

Our people from Gujarat do not have much presence in the world of uniform. Our people also do not go into the police much. There will hardly be anyone from the Gujarat in the army.

Despite that, to inspire the new generation, we have 1,600 km of coastline, there is Pakistan in the neighbourhood, there is a big desert. So we created a Raksha Shakti University. And those who want to serve the nation, stay in uniform, after class 10, we give them admission in the university and prepare them.