MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Monday launched a broadside at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for deciding to contest from Wayanad in Kerala, alleging he had run away to a ‘Hindu minority’ constituency as he was scared of facing the wrath of ‘peace-loving Hindus’.
“They linked peace-loving Hindus to terrorism. They are scared now to contest the election from a constituency where the majority population dominates. They are forced to go where the majority (Hindus) is in minority,” Modi said as he launched the BJP-Shiv Sena’s election campaign in Maharashtra in Wardha, Vidarbha, on Monday.
Coming down heavily against the Congress for coining the term “Hindu terror”, Modi said the community would “punish” the opposition party for doing so.
“In our 5,000-year old culture, it’s the first time the Congress-NCP has committed the sin of calling the peace-loving Hindus as terrorists and maligning them before the whole world. They can stoop to any low for vote-bank politics,” Modi said.
Taking offence to the PM’s remark, the Congress demanded the Election Commission act against him for allegedly violating the Representation of the People Act.
“Does Modi know that dividing voters on communal lines is deemed a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act, 1951?” asked party spokesman Randeep Surjewala.
“Modi should apologise to the nation and the Election Commission should take decisive action against him,” he demanded.
In reference to the recent Samjhauta Express blast verdict in which many “saffron terror” accused were let off for lack of evidence, Modi said it had exposed the Congress’ ‘conspiracy’.
“The Congress maligned crores of people using the term Hindu terror. Tell me, weren’t you deeply hurt when you heard the term Hindu terror? Is there a single incident in the history of the Hindus engaging in terrorism?” Modi asked the audience.
South has extended helping hand to Congress
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest in Wayanad in Kerala in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections has triggered a lot of debate in the political circles.A quick glance of the party’s history shows that it is South which had mostly helped the Congress whenever it was in distress. It is not just that Congress leaders - both Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi - had contested from safe constituencies in South, but also that the party had got a lion’s share of seats from South even when it recorded some of its worst performances.
NDA’s Thushar Vellappally to fight Rahul
Thushar Vellappally of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, an ally of the BJP in Kerala, will be the NDA’s candidate against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, BJP president Amit Shah said on Monday