Let Non-Gandhi Become Congress President For Five Years: PM Modi

Modi said if Congress makes someone who is not from the (Gandhi) family as party president for at least five years, then he will believe that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru really created a truly democratic system there.

Addressing a campaign rally for the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections scheduled on November 20, Modi said, "I want to challenge them. Let some good leader of Congress outside of the family become the party president for five years, then I will say that Nehru ji really created a truly democratic system there".

Four generations of Congress ruled the nation and they should give an account of what they have done for the country, Modi said.

"People have disproved that it was the "right of only one family" to speak from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi," he said.

"You can't understand the difficulties faced by the poor but a chaiwalla can," Modi said in a veiled attack on the Congress and the Gandhis.

"They (Congress) have kept the country in the dark with their lies which are ingrained in their minds," Modi said, not mincing words to target the principal opposition party and its top leaders.

On the impressive turnout in the first phase of polling held on November 10, Modi said, "People of Bastar in Chhattisgarh gave a strong response to Naxals by registering record voting percentage in the first phase".

The first phase of Assembly elections was held in Chhattisgarh on November 12, where 18 seats went to polls, out of which 12 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, while one is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat.

76.28 per cent polling was recorded in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh polls held Monda which was 0.35 higher in the poll percentage from 2013 Assembly polls. Last term's poll was recorded at 75.93 per cent.

The result of the assembly polls will be announced on December 11.

(With inputs from PTI)