‘First Millennials, now Gen Z...’: PM Modi says Congress vote share falling as youth population rises

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, saying that after millennials rejected it, Gen Z is now ready to “teach them a lesson.”

Addressing Network18's Rising Bharat Summit, PM Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress party and said that public anger against the Congress has been building for decades and is now visible among younger voters as well.

“First millennials taught Congress a lesson, now Gen Z is ready to teach them a lesson,” he said.

PM Modi asserted that the party’s vote share has been steadily declining over the years.

“This has been happening since 1984, Congress has been losing vote share since,” he said, adding that “Congress' votes have been on a decline.”

He claimed that the party’s shrinking footprint is evident in state legislatures. “Only four states have more than 50 MLAs from Congress,” he said.

‘Club serving one family’

The Prime Minister accused Congress of being dynastic and disconnected from the aspirations of the people.

“Congress is a club of people serving the family,” he said.

He alleged that the party gives credit for every achievement to one family while invoking Mahatma Gandhi to shield itself from criticism.

“All credit goes to one family, but bapu is used to cover up for these failures,” he said.

“They put forth Mahatma Gandhi when they want to hide their own deeds.”

Modi added that “People are angry at Congress' move, so they tried to take example from Mahatma Gandhi.”

“There is anger among people against Congress' deed,” he said.

AI Summit row

The Prime Minister also criticised Congress over its "shirtless" protest during the AI Summit, describing it as an attempt to malign India on a global platform.

“Sadly, Congress tried to malign our event. This shows Congress' failure,” he said, referring to the summit.

“AI Summit was a proud moment for India. But Congress tried to malign India's image in front of foreign representatives.”

He accused the opposition of trying to undermine the country at every opportunity.

“At every platform Congress tries to malign India, and opposes every good the country does,” he said.

‘Toolkit of protest’

The prime minister described Congress as being reduced to a party of constant opposition without constructive alternatives.

“Congress is reduced to a toolkit of protest. They want to protest everything,” he said.

He listed several issues and decisions that he said the party opposed, including the abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, women’s representation, triple talaq reforms, UPI, Swachh Bharat and COVID-19 vaccines.

“When country removed Article 370, teen talaq, brought in UPI, swachh Bharat, corona vaccine, they opposed all,” he said.

He also claimed that Congress opposed the installation of the lion capital above the new Parliament building, the construction of Kartavya Bhawan, and military actions such as surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor.

“They tried to oppose the installation of the lion head over the parliament, at a time when their stalwarts were being thrown out by the people,” he said.

‘Opposition is not blind criticism’

The prime minister said that in a democracy, opposition parties must offer an alternative vision rather than simply oppose every initiative.

“In a democracy, opposition cannot be just about protest, it needs to provide an alternative vision,” he said.

“Opposition does not mean blind criticism.”

He said voters have been delivering their verdict over time. “People are teaching Congress a lesson over the last four decades,” he said, adding that “People don't consider Congress a party worth voting for.”