In Madhya Pradesh, Congress has 3 CM candidates, each pulling others down: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit back at the Congress party saying it cannot think of the state's development as three of its senior leaders in Madhya Pradesh are fighting for chief minister's post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: AFP (File)

BHOPAL: The ruling BJP and the Congress are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters in Madya Pradesh with the state slated to go to polls on November 28. While on Tuesday Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of fooling the farmers by making fake promises, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit back at the main opposition party saying it cannot think of the state's development as three of its senior leaders in the state are fighting for chief minister's post. Mocking at the Congress challenge to the BJP's 15-year-rule in Madhya Pradesh, Modi said it has three chief ministerial candidates with each pulling others down and that it cannot think of the state's development. In a video interaction with party workers of five Lok Sabha seats, Modi claimed that more than a dozen Congress leaders were also nursing chief ministerial ambitions in the state which, he added has been transformed from "bimaru" (sick) to "bemisal" (unparalleled) by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He said the Congress was issueless in the poll-bound state and had become desperate due to all-round development works of the ruling state government. "The Congress has three chief ministerial candidates and over a dozen are in queue," he said, apparently referring to Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijay Singh, three main leaders of the opposition party in the state. "When more than dozen people have chief ministerial ambitions, then they cannot think of people's development. You should expose their lies to public," he told Bharatiya Janata Party workers. To a question from a party worker about how to respond to "disinformation" against the BJP by the Congress, Modi said they should treat it like "entertainment". "You should enjoy it. Don't be serious," he said in a lighter vein. In a veiled dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Modi said he at times avoids "Rajkumar" (princes). He made the remarks laughingly after a party worker introduced himself as Rajkumar, prompting the prime minister to ask if this was his name or he was indeed a "Rajkumar" (prince). (With inputs from PTI)