People are my Suraksha Kavach: Modi

Rewari (Haryana): Prime Minister Narendra Modi flayed the Congress on Friday over its stand on the Ram temple in Ayodhya and Article 370, and said the opposition party has opened all its "morchas" against him ahead of the Lok Sabha polls but the people are acting as his "suraksha kavach".

Addressing a public gathering after he laid the foundation of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and inaugurated and laid foundation of several projects in Rewari in Haryana worth Rs 9,770 crore, the prime minister said India has touched new heights in the world today and that it has been possible because of people's blessings. Referring to his visit to the UAE and Qatar this week, he said the respect that India now gets from every corner is not of Modi alone, but of every Indian. He asserted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May.

Modi flayed the Congress over its stand on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying those who used to call Lord Ram imaginary and did not want a temple to be constructed are also chanting 'Jai Siya Ram' now. The Congress is trapped in love for one family and in Haryana too the situation is same. The party is going through its worst phase, he said.

Their leader is not able to handle a start-up, so how can they dream of running the country, he asked. The Congress’ situation is such that their senior leaders are leaving the party one after another, he said. Those who had talked of joining hands with them are also running away now, he said, referring to the opposition INDIA bloc partners. The situation today is such that the Congress does not even have workers left. Where they are in power, they are unable to handle the government. In Himachal Pradesh, the party-led government is facing problem to pay salaries and pensions to people. In Karnataka, the Congress government is unable to execute development schemes, he said.