KASHIPUR: Hours after Congress president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Wayanad, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday accused him of having a 'secret agenda' in Kerala with the Muslim League, the 'same organisation' which caused the country's division.
The BJP leader was apparently referring to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) which is a long-time member of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, equating it with the pre-Partition Muslim League.
"The country attained freedom in 1947 after hundreds of years. But we also saw the country's unfortunate division on the eve of Independence. It was the Muslim League which had caused the division," he said.
"Today, Rahul Gandhi has filed nomination from a seat in Kerala where he has a secret agenda with the Muslim League, the same organisation which was at the root of the country's division," he said.
"Where is this secret agenda between the Congress and Muslim league going to take the country? What sort of an atmosphere the Congress wants to build in this country?" he asked at a rally at Kashipur in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district.
He accused the Congress of playing into the hands of anti-national and separatist forces.
"By saying that it would revoke the anti-sedition law and review the AFSPA, the Congress has made its intentions clear.
It wants to give the anti-nationals and the separatists a free run and weaken the armed forces," he said.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act gives the armed forces protection from legal action during operations in disturbed areas.
"This is an insult to the brave soldiers of Uttarakhand who don't hesitate to lay down their lives to protect the country's frontiers," Adityanath said.
He said the people of Uttarakhand have understood the character of the Congress.
"They know it can neither keep the nation safe nor it can do any good to the people of the state," he said.
Claiming that support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pouring in, he said, "Only one call is heard everywhere, `Modi, Modi' and `Modi as PM again'.
"On one side there is the Congress which plots conspiracies and on the other there is the BJP which has committed itself to securing the country's boundaries," he said.
The Congress "failed" to keep the promises it had made in its manifestos for 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he claimed.
But now it is making new promises to 'cheat' the people once again, he added.