Prime Minister Narendra Modi played to the gallery today, attacking both Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao. Modi compared Naidu to Bhallaladeva in the blockbuster movie Baahubali and said while power was with Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana, the steering was with the MIM.

In a hard-hitting speech in Rajahmundry, Modi said like the villian in Rajamouli’s movie, Naidu was playing the spoilsport by delaying the execution of the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari.

Similarly, in Hyderabad (where MIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi is the MP candidate), Modi said “MIM is a big speed-breaker for the Centre’s big support in building world-class infrastructure in Hyderabad, including the Metro”. “The MIM sees only Modi, criticises and comes in their dream, This Chowkidar Modi does not let them sleep,” he said, addressing a largely attended meeting in the Lal Bahadur Stadium. Opening his remarks in Telugu, he reminded the audience of the meeting before he got elected in 2014 at the same venue. Referring to J&K, the Prime Minister said three families have been in power there for over half a century, they need to go for the country’s good. The NDA government and Modi will ensure that. He said while the NDA Government was fighting terrorism and had contained it across the country and was succeeding in J&K, the Mahagatbandhan leaders of the TDP, TRS, YSR Congress were bothered about their own families than lakhs of families in the State.

Measures to control inflation

Modi said the government’s focus was always on the benefit of the middle class and the poor. “Today is April 1, the beginning of the new financial year and the interest exemption of ₹5 lakh announced in the Budget will come into effect,” he reminded the audience. He claimed that inflation was under control, home loan interest rates were reduced and exemptions provided to the salaried and middle class.

In Rajahmundry, Modi said the foundation stone for the mega Polavaram project was laid four decades ago, but “both the TDP and the Congress were responsible for the delay. After assuming charge, in the first Cabinet meeting itself, we gave the project the national project status.”