Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the “country will be on fire” if the BJP is elected the third time, and said a party which has ruled for 60 years is talking of setting the country on fire, after being out of power for just 10 years.

Addressing his first election meeting in Uttarakhand at Rudrapur, Modi said the Emergency-minded Congress no longer has faith in democracy. It is trying to incite countrymen against people’s mandate. The Congress wants to take the country towards instability and anarchy, he said.

Calling Rahul Gandhi prince of the Congress party, the Prime Minister asked the people “do you accept this talk of fire; will you allow this country to be set on fire, is this talk appropriate or democratic. Will you punish them or not?” Mr Modi said people must ensure they are all defeated, each one of them.

Mr Modi said in Karnataka, one senior Congress leader talked of separation of South India, and break-up of the country. Should such people be punished or not, he asked. The Congress response was different, he said. Instead of punishing such a person, the party gave him an election ticket.

Uttarakhand has not forgotten the Congress insulted late Chief of Defence Staff Bepin Rawat, he said. Nobody believes when the Congress talks of patriotism. The party is steeped in appeasement so much that it cannot think of the good of the country.

An island Katchatheevu belonged to India but the Congress governments gave it to Sri Lanka and now Indian fishermen who go there by mistake are arrested. Can the Congress be trusted with defending the country, he said. The Prime Minister said he will not be deterred by any threats, and continue with action against every corrupt person, even stronger, in his third term in office, to protect what belongs to the poor and the middle classes.

He said the Congress encourages infiltration, but is pained when the government wants to give Indian citizenship to people having faith in the country under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

People of this area know that refugees who came from Pakistan and Bangladesh are mostly Dalit families, he said. They are Sikh and Bengali brothers, but the Congress is opposing this. The Congress can go on opposing this, but these people have Modi’s guarantee. This guarantee means guarantee for guarantee, the Prime Minister said.

Mr Modi said the next few years would see major decisions but for this he needs the support of the people in the coming elections.

He said BJP’s love for Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is known. The party wants to make the State most developed. For this, BJP’s Central government is not leaving any stone unturned. Development in the State in the last 10 years was not seen in the last 60-65 years. Under various initiatives, the State has today much improved connectivity, 85,000 new pucca houses, water connections for 12 lakh houses, toilets for 5.50 lakh houses, while more than five lakh women got Ujjwala free gas connections and three lakh people got Swamitva cards for their properties.

He said 35 lakh people of the State got bank accounts. For small farmers, more than Rs 2200 crores assistance has been given directly. Only when the intention is firm, such results are achieved, he said. Modi has given guarantee to make India the world’s third largest economy. This will mean bigger incomes for people, more jobs and amenities will improve in towns and villages, including in Uttarakhand.

People can ask, he said, why doesn’t Modi get tired and stop; somebody else in his place would have paused to enjoy life. “Modi is not born to enjoy, Modi is born to work hard, to serve you,” he said. Work done in the last 10 years is much more than what happened in the previous several decades, but Modi says it was just a trailer. A lot more needs to be done to take the country forward. Till then, there can be no time for pause or rest, he said.

Opportunities for agriculture, tourism and industry are increasing in the State, he said. “Your dream is my determination. Migration from the State has halted in the last few years. In course of time, people who migrated for jobs will return to their native land,” he said.