PM Modi hits out at Congress, says 'party incapable of contesting on 300 seats in Lok Sabha polls'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (Apr 21) took a swipe at the Congress stating that the grand old party, which has in the past won 400 seats, is at present not even in a condition to contest from 300 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

He further called the party a "symbol of instability."

While addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Jalore, PM Modi said that the people of the country are punishing the Congress for its "sins".

"You have given your blessings to BJP every time, this time too, the people of Jalore-Sirohi are saying 'Phir ek baar Modi sarkar'. In the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, half of Rajasthan has taught a good lesson to the Congress party. The patriotic people of Rajasthan know that Congress couldn't provide a strong government in the Centre. Their government used to run on remote control. The country does not want the conditions that existed before 2014 to return again," the Indian prime minister said.

He then, further making an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi, said that some opposition leaders left the Lok Sabha and moved to the Rajya Sabha as they had no courage to contest elections.

"The Congress party itself is responsible for the condition it has reached today. Earlier, Rajasthan sent former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha, and now you have another leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha (Sonia Gandhi). People who knew that they could not win ran away from the race and reached Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Congress hollowed the country by spreading the termites of 'parivaarwad' and corruption. The youth of the country is so angry with Congress that it doesn't want to see their face again," the PM said.

Calling the Congress party a symbol of instability, he said that its alliance will never be able to run the country properly.

"Congress was in power for 60 years; once they used to win 400 seats, but today they can't even find candidates for 300 seats. They are paying the price of their wrongdoing. Now they have made an opportunistic alliance in the name of the INDIA bloc which got its wings clipped before it could take flight. The so-called allies are contesting against each other in the states and at least in 25 per cent of seats," PM Modi said.

'Numbers needed to stop BJP are there,' says Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, reacting to PM Modi's remarks where he alleged that the party was incapable of contesting on 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, asserted that the numbers required to dethrone BJP are with them.

"Let him (PM Modi) speak whatever he wants to. I am not here to answer his questions. The number needed to stop them (BJP) are there with us," Kharge told news agency ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)