Bhopal, April 6 (IANS): BJP veteran and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday led the party's campaign for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled on April 19, in Madhya Pradesh.

Rajnath Singh attended a roadshow and addressed a public rally in Singrauli - MP's coal mines hub and part of Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Uttar Pradesh.

Campaigning for the party’s Sidhi Lok Sabha candidate Rajesh Mishra, the Defence Minister asserted, "PM Modi's guarantee is to save citizens from hardships, while the useless opposition is spreading hatred."

Rajnath Singh (72), who led the then Opposition (BJP) during the UPA government, did not miss the opportunity to hit back at Congress.

He alleged that the "Congress-led UPA rule was mired in corruption, leading to some ministers getting jailed at the time."

Addressing the large gathering of party supporters and workers, Rajnath Singh said, "The BJP fulfils each and every promise made in its manifesto. We were mocked for our commitment to the Ram Temple but it was built. We abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir."

He accused the Opposition bloc of spreading hatred and misinformation. Rajnath Singh, who is among the 40-star campaigners' list including PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressed his first poll rally in Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh has 29 parliamentary constituencies. Sidhi is amongst the six Lok Sabha seats to be polled on April 19, five other constituencies are -- Chhindwara, Shahdol, Mandla, Balaghat and Jabalpur.

The BJP has fielded Mishra against former minister Kamleshwar Patel, who lost the assembly election from the Sihawal assembly segment under Sidhi Lok Sabha earlier in November last year.