Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the country had voted for honesty over dynasty and development over vote-bank politics in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Modi wrote a blog post to launch a fresh attack on the Congress, claiming people of the country were tired of corruption, cronyism and nepotism, and had voted for a better future.

Modi accused the Opposition party, which his campaign removed from power in 2014, of seeing the defence sector as “a source of income” and claimed the Congress government has seen multiple defence scams. The Congress “began with jeeps and then moved to guns, submarines and helicopters”, the prime minister said.

In his blog post titled “Institutional respect and Institutional contempt – two contrasting approaches”, Modi wrote: “When our forces strike at terrorist elements, Congress leaders accuse the political leadership of doing ‘Khoon Ki Dalali’. When our air warriors strike at terrorists, Congress questions that too.”

Modi accused the Congress of indulging in “contempt for the courts”. Congress’ modus operandi is to reject, discredit and threaten, he claimed, adding that if a court’s verdict goes against the Congress, they talk about bringing impeachment motions against the judge.

The prime minister also claimed that the Congress has never allowed a free and vibrant press. “The recent UPA years saw the bringing of a law that could land you in prison for posting anything ‘offensive’. A tweet against the son of a powerful UPA minister could land innocent citizens in jail,” he said, in an apparent reference to the now-repealed Section 66A of the Income Tax Act.

Modi claimed the Congress lacked internal democracy and possessed a sense of entitlement. “When the authorities seek to question them on their dealings, they do not even bother to reply. Are they scared of accountability or do they not believe in it?” he wrote.

The prime minister asked people to vote wisely in the Lok Sabha elections. The seven-phased polls will be held between April 11 and May 19, with the votes to be counted on May 23.

“As you go to vote – remember the past and how one family’s desire for power cost the nation so greatly,” Modi said. “If they could do it then, they can surely do it now. Eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty. Let us stay vigilant and work hard to strengthen the intuitions given to us by the makers of our Constitution.”