Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a scathing attack on the Congress for raising questions on the surgical strike and achievement of Indian scientists saying the grand old party was becoming more popular in Pakistan than in India.

"Don't you feel happy when the country makes some achievements? There are, however, some who feel disheartened by India’s growth and success. You have seen how they (Congress) reacted when our forces killed the terrorists in their homes in the surgical strike. When our scientists make an achievement, they try to find a way out to belittle it. So, something, which makes the Indians happy, makes them sad. Nobody cares for them in India but in Pakistan, voh logon ka Jayajayakar ho raha hai (they are being praised/hailed in Pakistan),” Modi told people at a rally in Aalo in Arunachal Pradesh.

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Stating that it was the first time that India entered the houses of the terrorists and killed them, he said while the whole of India rejoiced over the government’s achievements, the family the “Congress Parivar” and the houses of the terrorists were disheartened.

"The world stood by India. India spread its prowess to the space and is catching up with the super powers but the Congress is getting worried," Modi said.

Continuing with his tirade, he alleged that the Congress is synonymous with corruption and it is the “fevicol” (glue) that binds the Congress-led “Mahagathbandan”. The people have become habituated with their corruption, brokerage and betrayal of the poor, he said.

The PM said Arunachal is a "shield” for the country as the people of the state were zealously guarding the border as sentinels.

“Nobody can deny this truth nor can anybody wipe it out of history. I am proud of the people of Arunachal who are dedicated to protecting Bharat Mata,” he said.

Modi said the lotus in the Northeast had first bloomed in Arunachal (when MLAs of People’s Party of Arunachal had defected to BJP en bloc making it a BJP government a few years ago). He expressed gratitude to people as three BJP candidates for April 11 Assembly elections were elected unopposed.

“Arunachal is not just a state but also a powerful shield of the country. You are an inspiration of patriotism. Unfortunately, Congress neither cared for it nor respected your hopes and aspirations,” the PM told the crowd.

He continued with his attack of the Congress in two other rallies that he addressed in neighbouring Assam later in the day.

“I used to think they have a problem with one chaiwala. However, when I visited different parts of the country, be it West Bengal or Assam, I realized they have no concern for the people associated with tea. If not, the tea garden workers would not have suffered for seven decades. Only a chaiwala can understand the plight of chaiwalas. So, we started giving them free rice and sugar. Some four lakh families of tea garden workers were benefitted as we gave each of them Rs.5000 in two installments,” Modi said at Moran in Upper Assam.

In his third and last rally at Gohpur in Northern Assam, he said, “Who can rid Assam of the infiltrators and the terrorists? The pace at which efforts are being made to contain infiltration, it had never happened before”.

