Prime Minister Narendra Modi took dynastic politics head-on and said that much like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who abolished evil practices like sati and child-marriage, he too 'has put an end to the practice of only scions of royal families' holding the posts of chief minister and prime minister, paving the way for any poor man's son to hold these posts.
Modi's address in Etawah was also meant to send a message to voters of Mainpuri and Kannauj, with BJP candidates of all three seats present on stage. While Mainpuri has been Mulayam Singh Yadav's Lok Sabha seat, now being contested by daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, Kannauj is being contested by Akhilesh Yadav.
Modi recalled Mulayam Singh's «blessing» to him in Parliament before the 2019 elections when he had said that he hoped that Modi would come back as PM for a second term. «Today, Netaji is not there among us, but look at the coincidence, his brother is appealing to make BJP win. He expressed his heart's desire after all,» Modi said, taking a jibe at Shivpal Yadav's gaffe a few days ago when, in a statement, instead of mentioning SP, he asked people to vote for 'BJP'.
«Some think of Mainpuri, Kannauj and Etawah as their estates. Some consider Amethi and Raebareli as their properties. But Modi's legacy is the house of the poor. Modi's legacy is the toilets received by crores of mothers and sisters of the country. It is the power, gas and taps gotten by Dalits and backwards, the free ration and free treatment received by the poor. It is the national education policy