I Pray You Live Till 125, Modi Will Continue to be PM for Long: Rajnath

Chandigarh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took a witty jibe at Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi , saying he prays that the Congress president lives till 125 years as Modi will continue to remain the PM for a long time.

At an election rally in Jammu on Sunday, Kharge felt dizzy but resumed his speech after a brief pause, saying he won't die before Modi is removed from power.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Haryana 's Charkhi Dadri, Rajnath Singh said the Congress president has said that he would remain alive till Modi is not removed from the chair.

"I pray to God that you live till 125 years and till then Modi ji will remain the prime minister," said Singh.

Addressing the rally on Sunday, Kharge had said, "I am 83 years old. I am not going to die so early. I will stay alive till PM Modi is removed from power".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah described Kharge's remarks as "absolutely distasteful and disgraceful".

During his address at the poll rally, the defence minister asked people to vote for the BJP in the October 5 Haryana assembly polls.

He said "non-stop" development is taking place in Haryana under the BJP regime and appealed to people not to let a "full stop" happen.

"If you press the wrong button then Haryana which is going upward will go into the basement," he said On the issue of 'one nation, one election', Singh said the BJP -led Centre has decided that a bill will be brought in this regard.

Lashing out at the Congress , Singh asked the leaders of the opposition party not to mislead the people of Haryana .

He said the quantum of investments which came to Haryana under the BJP regime was never received in the history of the state.

Seeking to highlight the difference between the BJP regime and the Congress dispensation, Singh cited an example of Himachal Pradesh where the grand old party was in power.

He said the Congress government in the hill state was unable to pay salaries to its employees and they were holding protests for the same. They are not getting dearness allowance, he further said.

Chiding the Congress government in HP, he said before coming to power, it had promised Rs 1,500 per month for women but the assurance has not been fulfilled yet.

He also referred to the Congress -ruled Karnataka and said the chief minister there was facing corruption accusations.

Praising the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana , Singh said it was giving minimum support prices on 24 crops and no other state was doing this.

Referring to "pro-farmers" moves of the BJP -led Centre, he said that farmers are being provided urea at Rs 300 per bag as against its price of Rs 3,000 in other countries.

Under the Kisan Samman Nidhi, farmers are being given Rs 6,000 per annum, he said, adding that till now, Rs 3.25 lakh crore has been disbursed.

On the alleged infighting in the Haryana Congress over who will become the chief minister, Singh said the BJP has already announced its chief ministerial face.

"A senior Congresswoman leader was upset for many days. She is speaking today... but I think she is not speaking from her heart," he said in an apparent reference to Dalit leader Kumari Selja.

He said when the Congress was in power in Haryana , government jobs were not given without 'kharchi-parchi' (bribe and favouritism).

After the BJP came to power, it ended this system, he said. 

With PTI Inputs