Previous govts ignored poor, middle class: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused "governments in the past" of not developing railways in the country and alleged that Congress, which was in power at the Centre for many years, and the entire opposition are conspiring to sully his image.

Speaking after flagging off the new Vande Bharat Express train between Bhopal and New Delhi at Rani Kamlapati Railway Station in Bhopal, Modi said the governments in the past could have easily upgraded the already existing rail network after Independence. But the development of railways was sacrificed due to vested political interests, he alleged, without naming Congress.

"They considered one family as the first family of the country, they ignored the poor and middle class, and the railway is a living example of this," Modi said. "They were busy with (tushtikaran' (appeasement) of the vote bank; we are committed to satisfying the needs of the citizens (santushtikaran)."


His attack on Congress has come at a time when opposition parties are accusing BJP of endangering the democratic process in the country and using central agencies to target opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi who has been disqualified as an MP after a Surat court convicted him in a defamation case.

"There are some people in our country who have been determined since 2014, spoken publicly, and declared their resolve that they will tarnish Modi's image. For this, they have given supari (contract) to various people," the prime minister alleged. "Some people are sitting inside the country to support these people, and some are doing their work sitting outside the country. But India's poor, the middle class, tribals, Dalits, backward classes, and every Indian has become my protective shield."

Modi had begun his address by expressing grief over the Indore temple tragedy where 36 people lost their lives.