Lok Sabha 2024: “Anti-women” Opposition versus BJP welfare schemes — this was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch to women in Varanasi today. He urged them to maximize voter turnout, suggesting they gather 25-30 women and go to polling stations in festive processions with drums, thalis, and songs. He claimed that if 20-25 such groups arrived at each booth before 10 am, voter turnout would significantly increase.

Campaigning in his constituency, which votes on June 1, Modi addressed the “Nari Shakti Sammelan,” where he sharply criticized the opposition Congress and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, who are allied in this election. He accused the Congress of opposing reservations and the Samajwadi Party of being lax on law and order.

Modi referenced a controversial 2014 statement by the late SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had downplayed rape by saying, “boys can make mistakes.” Modi asserted that the “INDI Alliance” has always had an anti-women mentality, making it difficult for women to live wherever they govern, citing safety concerns in UP and Bihar as examples.

Highlighting the BJP’s social welfare schemes, Modi detailed the financial savings for families through initiatives in housing, health, free food, and subsidized cooking gas. He mentioned the construction of toilets, the provision of free bank accounts, and the free cataract operations for 300,000 people in his constituency as part of his efforts as an MP.

काशी की माताओं-बहनों और बेटियों से मेरा एक विनम्र आग्रह… pic.twitter.com/dD2MvCLB79

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 21, 2024

In an emotional appeal, Modi stated that for the first time in the past decade, women have been central to government policies and decisions, which he views as a key factor in India’s progress. He emphasized the essential role of women in both homes and the nation, criticizing previous governments for neglecting this for 60 years.