INDIA VOTES 2024: LS seats or ancestral properties? PM targets Congress over dynastic politics

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he would ensure every corrupt leader spent a lifetime in jail once his new government took shape post the declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4.

Addressing a poll gathering in West Bengal’s Purulia, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee named a few monks of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission for ‘openly aiding the BJP over the TMC’ in elections, Modi also said a party that disregarded Indian civilisation by openly insulting monks who were bringing glory to India “didn’t deserve even a single vote from people.”

Later speaking in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur, the PM said the Congress was writing a will, and they consider Parliament seats as their ancestral property. The Congress had announced Rahul Gandhi’s as its candidate from the Raebareli seat, held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the past two decades.

“Rahul Gandhi is saying it is my mummy’s seat, which not even an eight-year-old boy will say. Sonia Gandhi went to Raebareli and said she entrusted her son to the voters. These people consider parliamentary constituencies as their ancestral property,” Modi said.

The PM’s Purulia address, however, stood out for his sharpest remarks on corruption in the 2024 poll cycle so far.

Speaking of “illegal cash recovered from the homes of some opposition party leaders, including the Congress, JMM and TMC,” Modi said, “On June 4, after the installation of the new government, the life of every corrupt leader will be spent in jail. And the money of loot will be returned to those who are its original payees.”

The PM also indicated possibilities of a new law to return the money of the loot recovered by Central probe agencies to people.

He said he would not put this money into the national treasury. “Modi is not recovering money to fill the national treasury. It is Modi’s guarantee to find people who paid this money and return it to them. This money belongs to innocent Dalits, tribals and people belonging to backward classes,” the PM said.

In Bengal, he came down heavily on Mamata Banerjee for pin-pointing some leaders of Ramakrishna Mission, which Swami Vivekananda founded, and Bharat Sevashram Sangha for helping the BJP over TMC in Bengal.

“With trends indicating a TMC loss, Mamata Banerjee is now openly intimidating people. She dares to publicly name Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha leaders and insult them. The TMC has crossed all limits to appease its vote bank. ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are adding to national glory. I charge the Bengal CM of working under instructions of Muslim fundamentalists to get votes,” Modi said.

Banerjee had on Saturday in poll rallies named some seers for helping the BJP.

The PM also brought up Sandeshkhali matter and accused the ruling TMC in Bengal of siding with their leader Shahjahan Sheikh, the alleged perpetrator of sexual assaults on women, and said, “Every daughter of Bengal will destroy the TMC by voting against the party.”

Looted money will be returned to payees

On June 4, after the installation of the new government, the life of every corrupt leader will be spent in jail. Money of loot will be returned to those who are its original payees. — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister