BHOPAL: Hitting out at former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s tweets and statements on Pulwama terror attack and resultant IAF strikes on terror camps in Pakistan, Union Minister for sanitation and drinking water Uma Bharti said on Wednesday that “whenever Singh talks, he has the Muslim votes on target.”
“Whenever Digvijaya Singh talks, the Muslim vote is on his target. Singh and his party has a mindset which doubts the patriotism of Muslims living in India, which is why he thinks that by speaking for and sympathizing with terrorists, he would make the Muslims happy. The BJP has never suspected the patriotism of Muslims,” Bharti told journalists at her residence in Bhopal.
“The best way for imbibing the spirit of patriotism and nationalism for such leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, MP CM Kamal Nath or even Rahul Gandhi, is to visit either the morning or evening shakhas of the RSS. Digvijaya Singh particularly should visit the Sangh shakhas to take lessons on nationalism. The love which he possesses for terrorists will only be shed if he visits the Sangh shakhas. Nothing else including bathing in the Kumbh or undergoing the Narmada Parikrama Yatra can make him shed love for terrorists and their sympathizers,” said Bharti.
She, however, declined comment when asked about UP Deputy CM Keshav Maurya’s recent statement, where he also dubbed Pulwama terror attack as accident, like Digvijaya Singh.
She also ruled out that IAF strikes on terror camps will be an election issue in Lok Sabha polls. “It’s the people from Congress and opposition parties, who are making it an issue. For us the work done by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his credibility is sufficient.”
On Ram Temple issue
While declining comment on Supreme Court observations in the Ayodhya case, Bharti, one of the frontal leaders of Ram Temple Movement said “as a Ram Bhakt, I firmly believe that only a Ram Temple can be built on Ram Janmbhoomi premises. Even the courts have already ruled that the place is the birthplace of Lord Ram. Those talking about building a mosque on the RJB complex are the ones who don’t want peaceful resolution of the issue, wish that bloodshed should take place and want that the deadlock should persist. Like any other Ram Bhakt, I can only say that just like a temple can’t be built in Mecca and Medina or a mosque can’t be built in Vatican, in the same way nothing except a temple can be built in Ayodhya’s RJB premises, particularly as there are several mosques existent in Ayodhya and Faizabad for devouts to offer namaz.”
On delayed Ken-Betwa river linking project
According to Bharti, the Union Minister for River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation is committed for the start of the project before the model code of conduct comes into force for Lok Sabha polls. “It is Nitinji only who has authorized me to talk to MP CM Kamal Nath on the issue. I’ve already talked to the MP CM over the issue and he is meeting concerned officials this evening in Bhopal. I’ll also be present at the meeting, as I’ve been authorized for it by the union minister. Once Kamal Nath gives his nod for the project, Nitinji will convene a meeting of the MP CM and UP CM to pave the passage for the project and it will be a matter of five minutes before the stalled project starts.”
Clearly stating that there was no political interest in starting the delayed project before Lok Sabha polls, Bharti said, “This project will be a boon for entire drought prone Bundelkhand region of both states. It will be the first national project linking two big rivers of two states, which will render irrigation to six lakh hectares arable land in MP alone. There are no financial or environmental hurdles to the start of the project and even the population which will be displaced by it is very small.”