Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said people have made up their minds to punish the Congress in the Lok Sabha election and give 400 seats to the NDA because the Congress in Parliament had tried to put hurdles in his good work all through the last 10 years.

Addressing a BJP election rally at Barmer in Rajasthan, he said whenever elections come, the Congress replays its old talk on the Constitution to attack him. This was a party which discriminated against the SCs, STs and OBCs, he said, and did not let architect of the Constitution Babasaheb Ambedkar win an election, and denied him Bharat Ratna.

The Congress which had tried to finish off the Constitution by imposing Emergency in the country, now talks of the Constitution and comes out with distorted facts to “abuse” him, Mr Modi said.

“It is Modi who started the celebration of Constitution Day. The Congress had opposed the celebration of Constitution Day in Parliament. The party’s speech is on record. Was this not an insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution,” the Prime Minister asked.

Not just this, he said, he had developed the “panch-teerthas” connected with Babasaheb’s life. Therefore, he said, it is necessary to be careful about falsehoods and gossip being spread by the Congress and the INDI alliance about the Constitution.

As far as the Constitution is concerned, he said, he is ready to go on record that even if Babasaheb Ambedkar comes today, he will not be able to undo the Constitution. “For the government, our Constitution is Gita, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bible and Quran; it is all this for us,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the Congress Party’s hatred for the country is evident in its manifesto. The Congress manifesto carries the imprint of the Muslim League which was responsible for the country’s Partition, he said.

Mr Modi said another member of the INDI alliance has made a dangerous announcement in its manifesto that it will sink all the country’s nuclear weapons in the sea and destroy them.

“Can this be acceptable when the country’s neighbours on both sides have nuclear weapons,” he asked. He said “when Modi is trying to make the country powerful, the INDI alliance wants to destroy the nuclear weapons. Should these weapons be destroyed,” he asked the crowd.

“I want to ask the Congress, it should clarify on whose instruction your INDI alliance partner is working, and wants to make India weak and incapable in nuclear power,” the Prime Minister said.

“Would such people be acceptable to you, do you accept a weak nation, should they not be punished for their plans in the coming election by pressing the lotus sign button,” he asked the gathering.

He said the whole nation should be careful about the INDI alliance. The Congress considers the country just a piece of land, he said. The Congress president said in Rajasthan if Modi had removed Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, what has Rajasthan to do with it. This is doubting the patriotism of Rajasthan, he said.

Rajasthan and Barmer sacrificed lives in Kashmir, he said. Rajasthan had accepted and given shelter to families of Kashmiri Hindus thrown out of Jammu and Kashmir. Kargil people who had gone to Iran and suffered from Covid, were given shelter in Jaisalmer and sent back to their homes after treatment. The nation is proud of this, the Prime Minister said.

Mr Modi said the Congress wants to break the nation on language, region and on castes, and should be taught a lesson once again in this election. It opposes all that is in the interest of the nation and stands with anti-national forces, the Prime Minister said.

“In Rajasthan and in the country, we worship Shakti, but the Congress Prince says he will destroy Hindu dharma’s Shakti,” he said. Mr Modi said he is sure the female power of the country will give a fitting reply to this.

When Ram temple construction takes place, the Congress boycotts it. The party goes with people who throw stones at Ram Navami processions in Rajasthan. The party welcomes infiltrators, but opposes citizenship rights for Sikhs and Dalits who opposed the Partition.

The Congress thinking shows it is anti-development, he said. The party considered India’s border villages as the country’s last villages. It had denied development to these villages saying it could invite the enemy to take over the land. “How could they think like this? Which enemy has the courage to enter and seize Barmer land,” Mr Modi said.

“Should such a party get even a single seat in the State,” he asked. This time, all Congress candidates should lose security deposits in this election, he told the cheering crowds. “They will not reform, they should be cleaned off,” he said. On 26 April, first cast your vote and then take refreshments, he said.