'26 public meetings, 3 road shows, 12 states': Whirlwind campaign of Rajnath Singh in phase 1 LS polls

New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held 26 public meetings and three road shows across 12 states while campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections after the notification was issued by the Election Commission of India. The campaign ended for phase 1 LS polls today.
During the campaign, he spoke on multiple issues, ranging from the border issue with China, the Katchatheevu island row and the development of border infrastructure. He also attacked the Congress party and the INDIA bloc, saying they had come together only for power.
He was also present during the launch of BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' at the party headquarters along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 14.
Ahead of the launch of the manifesto, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the gathering of leaders at party headquarters in the national capital and said that the BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' presents the roadmap to a self-respecting and capable India with the commitment to the welfare and development of every section of society.
He said that there has never been any difference between BJP's words and deeds, and this credibility is its biggest strength.
The Defence Minister strongly raised the issue of not developing the border infrastructure and attacked the Congress party for being "scared" of the enemy.
Addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Satna, he said, "Congress did not carry out development work in border villages and areas because they were scared of the enemy that it could exploit the new roads to enter into the country but China kept developing its border infrastructure."
During the poll campaign, he also responded to China's renaming of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Defence Minister, during a rally in Arunachal Pradesh, strongly asserted that India wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours but if someone tries to hurt the country's honour then today India has the power to respond to it.
"China has changed the names of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh and posted on its website. I want to tell my neighbour that nothing is going to happen by changing the names. If tomorrow we change the names of some provinces and some States of China, so by doing that will those areas become a part of India? Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to say that friends change in life but neighbours do not change," he said.
"India's thinking is that we want to maintain good relations with all our neighbours but if someone tries to hurt India's honour, then today India has the power to respond to it," Rajnath added.
In a public meeting in Chhattisgarh's Balod, he attacked the INDIA bloc over Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti's statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be "put behind bars" if the Opposition alliance comes to power.
"INDI alliance leaders are already in jail, and they talk about putting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in jail," the Defence Minister said.
"I know Modi ji personally, he doesn't live for himself, he lives for the country. The opposition knows that they are not going to form a government and that's why their statements do not make any sense," he added.
In a dig at the INDIA bloc, using meme terminology, Rajnath Singh said that the public will do "moye moye" of the alliance in the elections. He said the alliance cannot face the NDA or BJP in the Lok Sabha elections as
"Several Opposition parties came together to fight and defeat the BJP. However, you can all see that this is an alliance of convenience of some self-seeking Opposition leaders. However, they can't even face up to the NDA, even if they are united. Iss desh ki janata iska bhi moye moye kar degi (the people will make the Opposition come a cropper in the elections)," the Defence Minister said in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.
In another jibe at the grand old party, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that the Congress party will go extinct like dinosaurs in a few years.
"Congress is getting vanished. These children must have heard of dinosaurs, have you? Have you seen dinosaurs? In a way, dinosaurs have completely disappeared from the earth, similarly, Congress is also disappearing," Singh asserted while addressing the public rally in Champawat, Uttarakhand.
During the campaigning in Bihar, Rajnath Singh took a jibe at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and said that the era of 'Laalten' (lantern) is over and now it's the time for LED.
"Laalten ka yug jaa chuka hai ab LED ka yug hai," he said during a public meeting.
In Tamil Nadu, he slammed the INDIA bloc, saying that the alliance is "not durable" and lacks synergy, while the BJP works for the people. He added that "the only reason for them to come together is power."
He also targeted the Congress party over the Katchatheevu island row, and said that whatever happened was because of the grand old party.
Drawing a comparison between the Congress and the BJP government at the Centre, the Defence Minister said during an interaction that his government established a good diplomatic relationship with Sri Lanka so that Indian fishermen do not face problems in comparison with the Congress regime 10 years ago.
Rajnath Singh served as the Home Minister in the BJP government's first tenure and as the Defence Minister in the second tenure. He is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow constituency, a seat from which he has been winning for the last two terms.
The 2024 general elections will be held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)