Modi was in a super offensive mode while addressing the BJP’s National Convention at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. The demeanour of the man was every bit redolent of his famous election campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“It has happened for the first time in the history of the country that a government that came into power with absolute majority hasn’t been accused of corruption. We can take pride in the fact that there is no taint on us,” claimed Modi in his address, with a direct attack on non-BJP governments the centre has seen, adding, “The BJP rule has proved that the country can be run without corruption.”

Carrying forward the address, he said the government before us pushed the country into darkness. It won’t be wrong if I say that India lost 10 important years (2004-2014) in scams and corruption, a direct allusion to the successive Congress-led UPA governments.

On the Ayodhya issue, which is an integral part of the BJP manifesto, he blamed the Congress over the delay.

“Congress is trying to obstruct the Ayodhya case through its lawyers. Congress was even ready to impeach the CJI using false allegations, what kind of mentality does the Congress have which works against the country’s interest on every issue?” he asked.

Talking about the bank scams and frauds that feature a few big names, Modi again pulled in the Congress to blame it for the banking sector fiasco.

“Bank gave loans of Rs 18 lakh crore in 60 years and Rs 34 lakh crore in the last 6 years of Congress governance. There were two means of taking loans in the country, one was the common process and the other one was the Congress’ process. In the Congress process, banks were forced to give loans to fraudster friends,” said Modi.

Touching upon the farmers’ issue, he said earlier governments saw farmers as only ‘matdata’ (voters) whereas his party regards farmers as ‘annadata’ (food provider), adding that his government was constantly trying to address the challenges faced by them.

“We are working day and night to double farmers’ income by 2022,” he said.

Talking about other important initiatives taken up in last four years, he especially mentioned women empowerment and ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao,’ claiming that his government has come a long way to free the society of wrong beliefs that existed for decades.

On the day when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) officially announced their alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi took a jibe at the prospects, and realisation of one on Saturday, of coming together of non-BJP parties and form a grand alliance, or ‘mahagathbandhan.’

“These days, a campaign is going on to publicise a failed experiment in the history of Indian politics by the name of ‘mahagathbandhan’. These people are trying to make a ‘majboor sarkaar’ (helpless government). They don’t want a ‘majboot sarkar’ (strong government) to get formed and their shop to get closed again.

Modi raked in the CBI as he said that the states of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh have blocked the entry of CBI. “What wrong have they done that they’re feeling scared? Today they don’t accept the CBI, tomorrow they won’t accept some other institution. Army, Police, Supreme Court, Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, all are wrong, only they are right,” said Modi.

Clarifying his government’s stand on the 10 per cent quota for the economically backward from the upper castes/general category, he said, “Ten-per cent quota given to economically backward classes is to meet the expectations of youths who were not getting opportunities due to poverty. This will enhance confidence of ‘New India’. The arrangement is without encroaching on anyone’s rights.”