Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Congress and development cannot go hand in hand and accused the party of indulging in “nepotism and corruption”.

Addressing a rally in the Kanker district in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Modi accused chief minister Bhupesh Baghel-led government of corruption and said that those who looted the state would not be spared.

“Congress has committed the biggest betrayal with the youth of Chhattisgarh. They (Congress) did not fulfil their promises. On the contrary, they committed corruption in recruitment (for government jobs). They turned the state’s PSC into the office of the Congress Committee. Congress recruited their children and relatives,” Modi said.

Modi further accused the Congress of insulting Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal President of the country.

For the first time in the history of the country, the BJP decided to make the daughter of a tribal family the President, but Congress also opposed it, Modi said.

“The opposition was not against the BJP rather it was against the tribal daughter. Every tribal of Chhattisgarh has to always remember this insult of the tribal daughter and take its revenge from Congress,” the PM said.

Further accusing the Congress leaders of indulging in corruption at every level, Modi said that in the last five years of Congress rule in Chhattisgarh, the number of its leaders’ bungalows and cars increased and only their children and relatives benefited, not the poor, PM said.

“Development cannot take place where there is Congress,” he said.

Modi said that the BJP’s resolution is to bring Chhattisgarh among the top states in the country and protect the interests of the “poor, tribals and backward”.

“Rapid development of Chhattisgarh is necessary for a developed India. In the next five years, we have to strengthen the foundation of a prosperous Chhattisgarh,” Modi added.

Elections to the 90-member state assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

Election on 20 seats in seven districts of Maoist-hit Bastar division and Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Kabirdham and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai districts will witness voting in the first phase, while polling in remaining 70 seats will be held in the second phase.

Reacting to Modi’s statement, Congress spokesperson RP Singh said that the BJP has nothing to offer to the people of Chhattisgarh hence they are blaming the Congress government for corruption and misleading the people.

“Till now, nothing has been offered by the BJP in Chhattisgarh. The PM himself has not announced anything which means that BJP is losing this election. He is only misleading people of the state,” Singh said.