Tearing into the Congress in Jamnagar, the Lok Sabha constituency where Kshatriyas have disrupted BJP candidate Poonam Maadam’s meetings and taken pledges to vote for the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned people against “wasting their vote” on the Congress that was not even contesting on 272 seats, which was required to form the government.
“You have to be wary of the Congress,” said Modi. “…if someone is disgruntled for some reason and if they begin to discuss that they should vote for the Congress, then I would like to tell them — ‘brother, if someone wants to form the government in India, that party has to win at least 272 seats’. Now except BJP, no party is contesting on 272 seats. If you are not contesting and you want to become pradhan mantri, ukso vote de kar vote kyon barbad kar rahe ho (Why are you wasting your vote).”
After landing in Jamnagar to address his fourth rally on Thursday, Modi drove to meet Shatrushalyasinhji Jadeja, the octogenarian patriarch of the royal family of erstwhile Nawanagar state.
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“Upon reaching Jamnagar, went to the residence of Jam Saheb Shri Shatrusalyasinhji and had a wonderful interaction with him. Meeting him is always a delight. His warmth and wisdom are exemplary,” Modi posted on X. The post was accompanied by photographs of Jadeja placing the traditional Halari turban on the PM’s head.
Wearing the turban signature to this region, Modi appeared on stage of the public meeting in Jamnagar. He began his speech in Gujarati by saying: “You all could be wondering as to why Narendrabhai came here wearing a turban. When the chief minister came to me with another turban, I asked him to place it above this one as this one can’t be removed. On my way here, I went for darshan of Jam Saheb. It is my good fortune that his and his entire family have unique affection towards me. When Jam Saheb puts a turban on my head, little more can I wish for. Therefore, I say that his turban of Jam Saheb is like a prasad… He gave me his blessings. When Jam Saheb says vijayi bhava, victory is assured.”
Modi playing up “blessings” of the royal of Jamnagar and praise for Kshatriya community come in the backdrop of the ongoing protests against the BJP due to alleged derogatory remarks made by Union Minister and BJP’s Rajkot candidate Parshottam Rupala in March. Jadeja, who has assumed the family title of Jam Saheb, had reacted angrily to Rupala’s remarks and appealed to Kshatriyas to unite and defeat “whoever commits such act” by voting them out in a democratic way.
Modi also recalled how he, as then chief minister of Gujarat, attended an event in Bhuchar Mori — a place in present-day Jamagar district’s Dhrol taluka, where armies of the Mughal empire and local rulers in Saurashtra clashed in 1591 — despite there being a popular belief that one who visits Bhuchar Mori, loses the CM’s chair.
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“Leaders of Kshatriya community came to invite me. At that time, someone whispered in my ears, ‘sir, we have come to invite you but we know it well that you are not going to grace the occasion and yet we have come (to invite) you as part of our duty’. I asked why should they conclude that I won’t agree to grace the occasion. They told me that no CM does… they told me that they have tried but none of the CMs visited the place where so many bravehearts laid down their lives and today their paliyas (memorial stones) are worshiped…,” Modi said.
“I told them that in comparison to the sacrifices of Kshatriya community, my post of chief minister holds no value and that I would certainly grace the occasion. And I did indeed attend that event…”
Further, the PM recalled how Jam Digvijaysinh Jadeja, the last ruler of Nawanagar before the state acceded to the Union of India, gave shelter to Polish refugees fleeing the World War II and how Parliament sessions in Poland begin by expressing the country’s gratitude towards Digvijaysinh.
“For the creation of akhand Bharat, raja-maharajas of our country gave up kingdoms built over generations. This country can never forget their contributions… 75 years after Independence, this important incident of history has been rejected,” he said.
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Earlier in the day, addressing a rally at Surendranagar, Modi said: “Congress has always been a party which makes wrong deliveries. When the country was to be given Independence, it delivered the Partition. Country needed development but instead it looted whatever was there. The money meant for the poor had to go to poor but instead it was diverted to the safe of Congress. Now, it wants to rob our brothers and sisters from SC, ST and OBC communities of the quota they have got thanks to Babasahab Ambedkar and the Indian Constitution and deliver it to Muslims on the basis of religion. The Congress has been constantly making such attempts for the past three decades.”
After Surendranagar, Modi addressed rallies in favour of BJP candidates in Junagadh and Jamnagar.
He accused Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge of trying to divide Hindus by differentiating between devotees of Lord Shiva and Lord Ram. “Congress has now done the mischief of finding differences in the faith of Hindus. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has broached a very serious subject by making a very dangerous statement about Lord Ram and Lord Shiva with malafide intent. It is a ploy to divide Hindus. He sees differences in devotees of Lord Rama and Lord Shiva. He wants to create rifts and make they fight.”
“Even Mughals couldn’t break our thousands of years old great traditions about Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva etc. Now, Congress wants to break them,” he added.
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Kharge, while addressing a poll rally in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday in support of party candidate Shivkumar Dahariya, had said that Shivkumar can compete with ‘Ram’ because he is ‘Shiva’. “This candidate is Shivkumar Dahariya. His name is Shivkumar – barabar ye Ram ka muqabla kar sakta hai kyunki ye Shiv hai (He can compete with Ram because he is Shiva). I am also Mallikarjun. (Main bhi Shiv hoon),” Kharge had said.
