Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that corruption was its biggest ideology, and said the grand old party cannot breathe without it.

Modi said if the Congress is a guarantee for corruption, he is a guarantee for action against graft.

Addressing a rally at the Science College ground in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, he said the state has become an ATM of the Congress.

The scam-ridden Congress government in Chhattisgarh has become a model of misrule and people have decided to root out it in the upcoming Assembly elections, he said.

This was Modi's first visit to the Congress-ruled state, where Assembly elections are due this year-end, after being elected as the prime minister for the second term in 2019.

"...The next 25 years will be crucial for the development of Chhattisgarh, but a big 'panja' (referring to Congress party symbol) is standing like a tall wall against it. Congress's panja had decided to snatch your rights and it will loot and destroy the state," he said.

The PM further said he would like to remind people of the state about the promises made by the Congress during the 2018 assembly.

The Congress government betrayed the women of Chhattisgarh. The party promised liquor ban in the state, but in reality they have done crores of rupees of liquor scam. The scam money went into the account of the Congress party, he alleged.

Now people say due to fights over this money the party could not implement the two-and-a-half years formula (hinting at sharing of CM's post between Bhupesh Baghel and T S Singh Deo), he said.

"Chhattisgarh has become the ATM of Congress. Corruption is not limited to liquor. There is no department left where corruption is not being committed in the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. This government has become a model of misrule," he said.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties over their attempt to forge an anti-BJP front, Modi said, "Those who are stained with corruption, they are trying to come together today. Those who once cursed each other, are trying to find excuses to come together." Each corrupt person in this country should pay heed to this - if Congress is a guarantee for corruption, Modi is a guarantee for action against corruption, he said.

Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones of eight projects worth around Rs 7,600 crore in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur.

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