Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on the Congress on Saturday and said it was his "dhakad" (strong) government that brought down the wall of Article 370 and as a result, Kashmir is now moving ahead on the path of development.

Modi said the history of the Congress has been of betraying India's forces and soldiers as he referred to the "Jeep scandal", the "first scam" during the grand old party's rule.

"Could a weak government have changed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir?" Modi asked the gathering, addressing his first Lok Sabha poll rally in Haryana.

Referring to Haryana contributing a sizable number of soldiers in the armed forces, he said when the Congress was in power, mothers in Haryana were a worried lot thinking about their children's safety.

"Have such things stopped now or not?" he asked the audience that responded with a loud "yes".

"Modi's dhakad (strong and decisive) government brought down the wall of Article 370 and Kashmir is now moving ahead on the path of development," the prime minister said.

In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that had bestowed special rights on Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories.

Modi said only 17 days are left for June 4, when the Lok Sabha poll results will be announced.

The Congress and its partners in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have drawn a blank in the first four phases of polling, he claimed.

Patriotism runs in the veins of Haryana, Modi said, adding that the "state understands anti-national forces. Therefore, each house in Haryana is saying -- phir ek baar" and the crowd responded, saying "Modi sarkar".

"When there is a dhakad government in the country, the enemy thinks 100 times before doing anything," the prime minister said.

He said Pakistan, which earlier had bombs in its hands, now has a "bheekh ka katora" (begging bowl) in its hands.

"When there is a dhakad sarkar, the enemy is terrified," Modi said.

Voting for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will be held in the sixth phase of the seven-phase election on May 25.

Among those present at the rally were former Haryana chief minister and the BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidate from Karnal, Manohar Lal Khattar, the party's Ambala and Kurukshetra candidates, Banto Kataria and Naveen Jindal.

Earlier, Modi paid tributes to former Union minister Rattan Lal Kataria. Saturday marked the death anniversary of Kataria, who represented Ambala in the Lok Sabha. His wife Banto Kataria is the BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidate this time.

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