Rid country of Congress government: Modi

Madhopur (Punjab), June 23: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday urged the people to oust the "autocratic" Congress government.

Modi, chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) election campaign panel, took jibes at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Modi was addressing his first public rally after the elevation by his party.

The rally was held to mark the 60th death anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookherjee in this town along the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border.

"The future of the people of this country is not secure in the hands of the Congress," Modi said.

While the top national leadership of the BJP gave a miss to the rally, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP leader Shanta Kumar were present on the occasion.

IANS