BAHRAICH: Two days after the donkey jibe by UP Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came back with a cutting retort, maintaining that rivals’ criticism was natural in politics but it was wrong to drag a poor animal which always remained loyal to its master irrespective of time and circumstances.
Addressing the first rally of the day in Bahraich on Thursday, the PM claimed there was no discrimination among even the animals in Gujarat.
“We take care of our wild donkeys the way we rear our lions,” he said, adding: ‘Woh (Gadha) apna kaam lagan se karta hai. Usse isse phark nahi padta ki uski peeth par chini ladi hai ya choona (It performs its duty diligently irrespective of the fact that it is loaded with sugar or lime stone).”
Ridiculing the CM’s comment, the Prime minister dubbed donkey as his source of inspiration. “My countrymen are my masters and the donkey inspires me to work for them untiringly, unstoppingly,” he said reiterating his vow to keep working for the people all his life.
At his Basti rally, Modi sought to blend his references to Akhilesh’s donkey comment with a few lines of a poem on donkey written by a renowned local poet Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, “Neta ke do topi gadhe ke do kaan, topi adal-badal kar pehne, gadha tha pareshan; ek roz unko gadhe ne tang gali mein ghera, neta ur gaye, topi ur gayee, a ur gaye unke kaan; Beech sabha mein khada ho gaya gadha seena tan (A donkey was rattled by the ever changing ‘topis’ of politicians. With the changing times, politicians come and go but the donkey remained there with pride).”
Further sharpening his attack, the PM alleged the CM has casteist mindset as he mocked at the poor donkey while pressing the entire state machinery into action to search for a ‘buffalo’ of a minister (Azam Khan).
“What harm the poor donkey of Gujarat has caused you, why are your scared of it?” he asked him.
Modi lambasted Akhilesh-led state government for making tall claims over the measures to spruce-up law and order situation in the state but “he and his alliance partner were going places to seek vote for tainted and gang rape-accused minister and ‘mining mafia’, Gayatri Prajapati in Amethi.”
The PM called upon the Chief Minister to present a report card of his five year rule and claimed that the after four phases of voting in the state, BJP was having a clear edge.
Repeating his resolve to keep going with his crusade against corruption and black money, Modi pointed his fingers at the his rivals saying they were stung by the move as it had hit them hard.
Modi also expressed concern about the atmosphere fraught with fear and insecurity in the state especially for girls .