“Congress’s shehzada (prince) says abroad that India is not a nation. The country conducts a surgical strike, and they ask for evidence from the Army. Sena ke shaurya ko Congress ke shehzade khoon ki dalali bolte hain (The prince of Congress calls the bravery of the Army an act of brokering blood). Congress was the first to stand behind the tukde-tukde gang,” he said at a rally in Rajasthan’s Karauli, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the prince of the party.

“And now, even the Congress president is openly raising questions on the unity of the country… They go on foreign land and talk about Kashmir, but when I talk of Kashmir in Rajasthan, they ask, ‘If (Article) 370 has been removed from Kashmir, then what relation does it have to Rajasthan?’ This is what the Congress president said here,” the PM said. He was referring to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks at a rally in Jaipur last week, in which he had asked why Modi was raising the Article 370 issue in Rajasthan when the state was facing many issues of its own.

Modi said if Congress leaders wanted to know what connection Rajasthan had with Article 370, “They should ask this question in the homes of the brave (soldiers) who were martyred… Many brave children of Rajasthan have sacrificed their lives on the soil of Kashmir.”

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda had also targeted Kharge over his remarks.

Speaking on the issue of corruption, the PM said strict action was being taken against the corrupt across the country, including in Rajasthan. He alleged that this was why the Opposition formed the INDIA bloc.

“On one side, there is Modi, who says remove corruption. On the other side, are those who say save the corrupt. All these people who have set out to save the corrupt should listen carefully – no matter how many threats you give Modi, the corrupt will have to go to jail. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of “appeasement” of its vote bank, Modi said, “…Congress leaders, doing appeasement and corruption, demolished temples and took over the land. Stones were pelted on Ramnavami shobha yatra procession.” He was referring to communal violence that broke out in Karauli in 2022.

He also criticised the Congress for “boycotting” the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

With PTI inputs