Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Ahead of the Monsoon session in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday mocked the Congress for its opposition to 'Triple Talaq' in the Muslim-dominated constituency of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
"Is it a party for Muslim men only? What about the Muslim women? You are not bothered about them?" Modi said at a public rally after laying the foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway. "Had the Congress been really concerned about the problems plaguing the community, it wouldn't have stalled the bill on Triple Talaq."
"I want the Congress leadership to come to Parliament and make its stand clear on 'Triple Talaq' because of which so many Muslim women have been suffering for so long," he said.
The Prime Minister said he was not surprised by the Congress's claim of being a Muslim party because it had issued such statements in the past. "I am not surprised since our former PM Manmohan Singhji too had claimed at fag end of his tenure that the Muslim's owned the first right on country's natural resources," he told the massive rally.
Modi also did not spare the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Azamgarh. "Those who could never stand each other have become so insecure that they have joined hands to seek my ouster," he said, adding that the former arch-rivals wanted to remove a government which was working for the common man and the development of the nation as a whole.
While invoking Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia, Modi said some political parties sought votes from the Dalits, poor, and drown trodden for grabbing power and replenishing their coffers and propagating their own families.
"They don't want to see the downtrodden climbing up the ladder of growth. Rather want to keep poor as poor so as keep their shops running," he added. "Be it Modi or Yogi, you (public) all are our only family. Our dreams are only for you."
The Purvanchal Expressway would trigger a fresh wave of development in the region, he said. “There will be industries, training institutes and better connectivity to improve the condition of the region,'' Modi said.
The 340- km Expressway, connecting nine districts between Lucknow and Ghazipur, is expected to be constructed at a cost of `11,836 crore in 24 months.
The PM didn't forget to pat the back of Yogi Adityanath, saying that the Uttar Pradesh CM has done a commendable job in the last one year. "The UP government has controlled corruption, crime and has taken the state ahead on path of development," he claimed.
