Kanpur, Oct 19 (PTI): Accusing the "troika" of Congress and its allies SP and BSP of playing "divisive" politics in the name of secularism, Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the people of Uttar Pradesh to throw them out of power and "bury" vote-bank politics forever. Interestingly, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate made no reference to the Ram temple issue in his first public meeting in UP where the party is hoping at win over half of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in its bid to come to power at the Centre in the 2014 general elections.
"Government has only one religion. It is nation first, India first. It has only one religious scripture, that is the Constitution," Modi said, as a mammoth crowd of BJP supporters chanted 'Modi, Modi' repeatedly.
Raking up the issue of Congress attacking him on the issue of secularism, the Gujarat chief minister said the ruling party has only "one mantra, one chant and one medicine" for winning elections.
"Congress has only one mantra, only one medicine - that of vote bank for winning elections. They chant the mantra of secularism to divide the people," he said, adding that BJP is committed to binding people together.
Modi said the aim of his party is that whether it is a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Buddhist they should all be "good".
"We will have to bury vote-bank politics forever. We have to tread on the path of development oriented politics," he said.
Attacking the ruling SP and the main opposition BSP in the state, who provide outside support to Congress-led government at the Centre, Modi described them as a "troika" which has "eclipsed" the holy confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.
"Uttar Pradesh wants to break free from this eclipse to restore its pristine glory," he said.
Similarly, the people of Uttar Pradesh should take the lead in dislodging the troika from Delhi, he said, citing the call from this historic city for driving out the British.
"More than 5,000 innocent people were killed in the last one year in UP. The government in UP still continues to play its games for vote-bank politics," Modi said.
He further alleged that the Akhilesh Yadav government is making efforts to release those facing serious charges of terror activities.
"They are playing with the nation's security. We will not allow them to destroy UP or the country for vote bank politics," Modi said.
He alleged that it is in the "DNA, blood and thought process" of the Congress to play divisive politics and divide brothers.
Attacking the Congress, SP and BSP, the BJP leader said they have become "masters" in making false promises, fooling the people and taking them for a ride.
Modi accused Congress allies of protecting and saving the government at the Centre "through the backdoor" to hide their own misdeeds and are equally responsible for the state of affairs.
Charging the Congress with only seeking account of his work and the development in Gujarat, Modi said the government at the Centre should explain its own accounts.
He slammed the Prime Minister on the coal allocation issue, saying a senior official has said that if he is an accused then the PM should be "accused no.1".
"Had we ever heard such words before for a Prime Minister? They say the coal files have gone missing. In Delhi the whole government has gone missing.... Due to your misdeeds, life has gone missing in India," he said.
Taking jibes at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on poverty, the BJP leader said one should look at the language he has used. "He says poverty is nothing.
It is only a state of mind. Those born with a golden spoon- what do they know of poverty."
Modi said while Gandhi had visited homes of the poor to understand poverty, he was born poor and feels the pain.
He said the arrogance of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul prevents them from accepting their failure to control prices.
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