Opposition alliance will fail in its mission, says PM Modi at Kannauj and Hardoi rallies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, saying the coalition of “opportunists” wanted a weak government because its mantra was “jaat, paat japna; janata ka maal apna” (talk about caste while looting people’s money). He was addressing election rallies in Kannauj, a Samajwadi Party stronghold, and Hardoi, a day after filing his nomination from Varanasi for a second term.

Caste and the alliance

Calling the alliance “mahamilavati” (adulterated), Modi said in Kannauj that he did not believe in caste politics and thanked his critics for making his caste known to the country. Addressing BSP chief Mayawati, he said he belonged to the most backward class and asked her with folded hands not to drag him into caste politics, adding that the country’s 130 crore people were his family.

He said the opposition wanted a government at the Centre that was “majboor” (helpless) rather than “majboot” (strong), as before 2014, and claimed that parties facing defeat stoop to new lows in their language. He mocked opposition leaders for dreaming of becoming Prime Minister and said Mayawati was now seeking votes for the SP, which he accused of insulting B.R. Ambedkar, only to defeat him and win power.

Modi also accused these parties of demanding proof of the Balakot airstrikes and of shedding tears over the Batla House encounter, and said they had no answer to terrorism, though terror camps were still operating from Pakistan.

Jibes at the Congress

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Modi said some clever people promised to turn potatoes into gold, something neither he nor the BJP could promise, and said he made no promises he could not keep. In Hardoi, he accused the Congress of disregarding Ambedkar, noted that his government had named the Bhim App after him, and said the BJP had developed five memorials to Ambedkar as a “panch teerth”.

In an apparent swipe at former Congress minister Salman Khurshid, he told people from Farrukhabad they knew what had happened in the name of the disabled, calling the equipment scam a dark chapter of Congress corruption. A trust led by Khurshid’s wife had faced corruption charges after a sting operation.

Vision and turnout

Modi set out a development vision built on the colours of the national flag: saffron for energy from coal, water, sun and wind; white for a revolution in milk, cotton, sugar and eggs; green for farming; and blue for water resources. The flagpole, he said, stood for infrastructure such as railways, digital networks and gas pipelines.

Pointing to the large crowds despite the heat, he said people had decided to break the record of 2014, and that history would be made on May 23 when results were declared.

What happened next

When the 2019 Lok Sabha votes were counted on 23 May 2019, the BJP won 303 of 543 seats, and Modi was sworn in for a second term on 30 May 2019.

See also: Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party

Originally published on 27 April 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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