AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: In a clear attempt to play the victim of a Congress vilification campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday raked up, through a series of tweets and election rally speeches, an array of instances when he was subjected to personal attacks by senior Congress leaders. The day started with Modi tweeting that suspended Congressman Mani Shankar Aiyar, during a visit to Pakistan in 2015, had called for his removal as PM if the neighbouring country wanted to see lasting peace with India.
“Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar told people when he visited Pakistan — remove Modi from the way and then see what will happen to India-Pakistan peace? What did he mean removing me from the way? And what’s my crime? That we have the blessings of the people?” Modi tweeted. This was followed by another attack on Aiyar at a rally in Banaskantha.
“Did you go to Pakistan to offer supari on me?” he asked, roping in Pakistan, his pet whipping boy during the elections, for the first time in the current Gujarat campaign. “Someone tell me what is the meaning of ‘raaste se hatana’ (clear the way). You had gone to Pakistan to give my supari, you wanted to give Modi’s supari,” he said. Continuing the attack at another rally in Kalol, he said the Congress should similarly sack its senior leader and Kapil Sibal for urging the Supreme Court to defer hearing in the Ayodhya case. “Why doesn’t the Congress also remove this lawyer leader of theirs?” he asked.
Keeping up the heat in a couple of tweets, Modi said: “Digvijaya Singh said Modi sarkar is like Rakshas Raaj and Modi is Ravana” and “Pramod Tiwari... said Modi is in the league of Hitler, Mussolini and
Gaddafi”.
First phase of polling today