Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress accusing it of keeping the country poor and criticised it for questioning the valour of the armed forces.

Addressing an election rally in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, on Thursday, the PM asked if the people should forgive those who make anti-national statements.

“When we entered the homes of the terrorists and killed them then is it right to question valour of our jawans? Is it right to abuse our Army Chief? Should the people of the country forgive those who make anti-India statements and turn Pakistan into a hero?” he said as the sea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters raised slogans in his praise.

“They spread the rumour that Army is trying to plot a coup,” the PM said.

Calling Uttarakhand a ‘Sainik Dham’ (holy place soldiers), the PM told the gathering that he is not afraid of the enemies of the nation.

“Congress courtiers say that Modi should not talk about airstrike and should not raise the issue of national security. Should Modi sit down quietly? Should he be afraid of threats from terrorists? Such culture of fear is not present in your chowkidar,” the PM said referring to himself with the catchword that his party is using extensively in the campaigning.

He also accused the previous Congress-led UPA government of ignoring the demands of the armed forces.

“When the armed forces were asking for modern weapons, latest guns and bulletproof jackets, the Congress remained unperturbed because their focus was not security but to eat the cream,” he said.

Commenting on the scheme for the poor recently announced by the Congress party, PM Modi said, “They are again making the same promise to the poor that they did four generations ago. This is the biggest proof of the lie, thought and failure of Congress.”

He told the massive gathering that they must remember the series of scams that happened during the Congress rule in the state.

“Scams are a symbol of Congress culture, which has destroyed Uttarakhand forcing many to flee the state,” he said.

The PM also said that the previous Congress government in the state tried to block his attempts at bringing development to the state

“Today, the works on all-weather road, Bharatmala project and Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line are progressing speedily,” he said.

The PM began his party’s election campaign with a rally in Meerut today, which was the first in a series of poll rallies he will address over the course of the election season which begins on 11 April and will continue in seven phases till 19 May.

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He is also scheduled to hold a rally in J-K today.

The Prime Minister has already covered 22 states touching over 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in two months before the announcement of the poll dates.