'Maoist' Congress Manifesto Eyeing Temple Gold, Will Lead Country To Bankruptcy: PM Modi In Mumbai

PM Modi lashed out at Congress, claiming that if it is elected to power, it would seize gold from temples and women's 'mangalsutra' (gold chains), and impose a 50 percent inheritance tax.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, labeling it as a "Maoist" document and warning that its implementation would interrupt the country's economic growth and drive it to bankruptcy. Addressing a rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park in support of Shiv Sena-BJP candidates, Modi claimed that if Congress were elected to power, it would seize gold from temples and women's 'mangalsutra' (gold chains), and impose a 50 percent inheritance tax.

"The Congress is fighting a battle for its survival and can go to any extent (to save itself). Its Maoist manifesto is eyeing gold from temples and 'mangalsutra' of women. The Maoist manifesto will put a break on economic growth and lead the country to bankruptcy," PM Modi said.

"It (the Congress) also plans a 50 per cent inheritance tax... the party is planning an X-ray of your property and handing it over to their vote bank which speaks of vote Jihad," Modi accused.

PM Modi's Swipe At Jawaharlal Nehru And Congress

In a swipe at former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress, PM Modi remarked, "The government who did not trust the capabilities of Indians, was inefficient... I have seen Prime Ministers who called Indians lazy from the Red Fort... PMs with such a mentality cannot develop India. Under the guidance of Gandhiji, if the Congress had been dissolved after independence, the country would have been 5 decades ahead from now..."

Modi previously stated that the Congress manifesto engraved the influence of the Muslim League. He emphasised his government's achievements over the past ten years and outlined a 25-year roadmap for the future.

The BJP stalwart claimed that although they were once thought to be unachievable, the creation of a massive Ram temple in Ayodhya and the removal of Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir special status, have now they have become real. "But they were made possible because of the power of your single vote," he added.

 "Some people say that what Modi says is impossible. It is difficult to instil hope in people who are drowned in hopelessness. Everything is impossible for them. These are the same people who thought that the Ram Temple was impossible. The world has to accept that the people of India were so strong with their thoughts that they kept struggling for 500 years, for one dream... As a result, Ram Lalla is Virajman in a grand temple..." he remarked. 

He urged Mumbai residents to remember past terror attacks and serial bomb blasts when they vote on May 20, contrasting the previous insecurity with the sense of safety and security they have felt since 2014. "In the last ten years, they (Mumbaikars) have been feeling safe and secure," PM Modi further added.