‘Modi tera kamal khilega’: PM attacks Congress on 'kabar Khudegi' slogan

"The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the people having such offensive thinking and language," PM Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked Congress over his offensive comments against him, saying the country will give them a "befitting reply".

The PM said that the country and people are saying "Modi Tera Kamal Khilega" (Modi, your lotus will bloom) while targeting the grand old party over its 'Modi teri kabar khudegi' (Modi, your grave would be dug) comment.

"I can see BJP all around in Meghalaya. Be it hills or plains, village or town, I can see the lotus bloom. Those who have been rejected by the country, who the country is no more ready to accept, are now chanting 'Modi teri kabar khudegi'. But the country is saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega'," ANI quoted PM Modi as saying during an election rally.

He said, "The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the people having such offensive thinking and language. The people of Meghalaya and Nagaland will also give a reply."

After Congress leader Pawan Khera was stopped from boarding a flight from Chattisgarh's Raipur at the Delhi airport on Thursday.

He then said "People's first" government is the need of the hour for Meghalaya instead of a "family first" government.

"Today, Meghalaya wants a government with People First instead of Family First, so today 'lotus flower' has become synonymous with strength, peace and stability of Meghalaya. When I think of Meghalaya, I think of talented people, and vibrant traditions. I am here with a message of hope and development. India is scaling new heights of success and Meghalaya is making a strong contribution to it. We want to build it further and work for the state," he stated.

The Prime Minister said that the support for the BJP is a result of "selfish act" by a few families.

"Be it youth, women, traders, or government servants, everyone is asking for a BJP government. The sentiment in support of BJP in Meghalaya, as well as North East, is a result of the selfish act by a few families. Meghalaya's interests were never given priority... You were divided on small issues. This politics has done you a lot of harm... It has done a lot of harm to the youth here," he said.

The election for Meghalaya along with Nagaland will be held on February 27. In the previous elections, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by bagging 21 seats in a 60-member assembly. However, Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party formed the government with the support of other parties including the BJP, which won two seats.

Earlier in the day, addressing a joint election rally of the BJP and NDPP at Chumoukedima near Dimapur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Congress used Northeast as an ATM, while the BJP considers the eight states of the region as 'Ashtalakshmi' (eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi) and is working for its peace and development.

"The country can't be run by distrusting your own people but by respecting and solving their problems. Earlier, Northeast had politics of divide, but we have now transformed it into 'devine' governance (Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East or PMDevINE). The BJP does not discriminate people on the basis of religion or region and religion," he said.

Noting that there was political instability in Nagaland during the Congress rule, he claimed that the grand old party remote-controlled Northeast from Delhi, and siphoned off money meant for its development, while giving primacy to "dynasty politics, from Delhi to Dimapur".

With inputs from agencies