Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 13 May, said senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Bhopal seat in Madhya Pradesh, committed a "big sin" by not casting his vote.
Singh, a registered voter at his hometown Raghogarh in the state's Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat, did not exercise his franchise during the polling held there on Sunday, 12 May.
The Congress leader, who is pitted against BJP leader and 2008 Malegaon blast accused Pragya Thakur, stayed put in Bhopal, asking people to come out and vote.
“Diggy Raja you have committed a big sin...in the festival of democracy, the President, Vice President stood in queues to cast their votes, but Diggy Raja did not,”Narendra Modi
"His (Singh's) arrogance came to light yesterday in Bhopal. When people are electing their representatives and even I exercised my franchise in Ahmedabad, Diggy Raja neither cared for democracy nor people," he said in remarks laced with sarcasm.
"You (Singh) were very busy asking people to vote... save me. Why you are so frightened of losing your job?" the prime minister asked.
Modi said even the Narmada yatra, a religious pilgrimage undertaken by Singh last year, would not come to his rescue in the Lok Sabha elections.
‘Cong Cheated God’
Targeting the Kamal Nath government in MP over its "failure" to implement farmers loan waiver promise, Modi likened people to God and said, "The Congress cheated God." The Congress has objections in raising the "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan, he said.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the "naamdar" begins his speeches abusing him.
On the PM-Kisan scheme, under which Rs 6,000 per annum are transferred to the accounts of farmers who have less than five acres of land, Modi said after the Lok Sabha polls, the five-acre condition would be removed, and more cultivators would be covered.
Modi criticised the Congress for "neglecting" tribals.
"Tribals exist in this country from the time of Lord Ram. Four generations of a family served as PM after Independence but they couldnt see the tribals. It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who set up a separate tribal ministry for tribals, Modi said.
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