Battle of ‘communal vote bank owners’ Vs ‘inclusive development practitioners’: Naqvi on polls

NEW DELHI, Mar 2:
Attacking the Opposition, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said the upcoming assembly election in four states and a union territory would be a battle for mandate between “communal vote bank owners” and “inclusive development practitioners”.
Addressing BJP workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur, the Minority Affairs Minister said confidence in development would be a “strong criterion” in the upcoming polls in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become an authentic brand of development and good governance, he was quoted as saying by a statement issued by his office.
Modi has made a successful attempt to ensure that the light of development reaches every needy person through his resolve of “inclusive development and universal empowerment” without any discrimination, Naqvi said.
He said the days of climbing the ladder of politics with the help of “rhetoric” are over.
Some political parties consider politics of inheritance their birthright but such people are failing to perform on the development front, Naqvi said in a swipe at the Congress.
He said the upcoming polls would be a battle for mandate between “communal vote bank owners” and “inclusive development practitioners”.
Prime Minister Modi has given a strong message to politicians over their ways of doing work by destroying the “VIP culture”, he said.
“As we enter the 75th year of independence, we have a big chance to change the character of the country’s politics and bring it in line with the dreams of our independence movement icons,” he said.
Voting for five assembly elections would begin on March 27, the Election Commission had announced Friday with West Bengal set to hold eight-phase polls and Assam three. Counting for all the seats will be held on May 2.
To be held till April 29 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the elections are expected to witness a determined attempt by the BJP to put a strong show, including in Assam where it is already in power, as well as in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the saffron party has been pushing hard in recent years. (PTI)