INDIA bloc plans five Prime Ministers in five years, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Kolhapur, on April 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

“If the INDIA bloc gets majority to form the union government for the entire term, it is planning to have five Prime Ministers, one PM each year” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a gathering in western Maharashtra’s Kolhapur on April 27

“These people (Congress) who are struggling to win Lok Sabha seats in three digits, can such INDI alliance people even reach the doorstep to form a government? And they are in such a state that they are preparing a formula to have one year-one PM. If they get an opportunity for five years, then five PMs,” said Mr. Modi targeting the Opposition parties.

The INDIA combine is an alliance of 26 Opposition parties.

He referred to what he termed as Karnataka’s rotational Chief Ministership model as an example, where he claimed the Congress government’s tenure has been divided into 2.5 years between the current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

While attacking Congress, he gave another reference from Karnataka as the party’s pan-India plan, “Muslims were included in Other Backward Class (OBC) list to share 27% reservation… Congress wants to change the Constitution and rob Dalits as well as OBCs of reservation benefits and make them into religion based.”

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as shehzada (prince), he once again referred to his earlier wealth distribution statement. “They want to search your wealth and distribute it to those who the party had mentioned as having the first right over the country’s resources. They also want to impose inheritance tax and rob your children of their inheritance.”

Mr. Modi’s rally in Kolhapur was to campaign for two Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) incumbent MPs Sanjay Mandlik from Kolhapur constituency and Dhairyasheel Mane from Hatkanangale. Mr. Mandlik is defending his seats against Congress candidate and scion of Kolhapur royal family Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. At Hatkanangale, there is a three cornered contest, among Mr. Mane, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana’s President Raju Shetti and Shiv Sena’s (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Satyajeet Patil.

With two phases of Lok Sabha elections through and these two seats to go to polls in the third phase scheduled on May 7, Mr. Modi claimed that the INDI alliance has made two self-goals, thereby NDA leading by 2-0.