Modi Attacks Opposition, Recalls Godhra in Bihar Rally

NEW DELHI: In one of his fiercest election speeches in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday raked up the 2002 Godhra train arson, an issue that he rarely mentions even at such events, to attack the Congress-led UPA and the then railways minister and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav for practicing appeasement politics at a rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga.

Earlier in the day, the PM addressed two rallies in Jharkhand’s Palamu and Lohardaga and later in the evening, he held a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, where he continued his attack on the Opposition over corruption, votebank politics and "attempts to change the Constitution for providing reservations to Muslims".

Addressing his third rally of the day in Bihar’s Darbhanga, Modi raked up the 2002 Godhra train arson issue and accused Lalu Prasad of trying to “save” those responsible for burning alive more than 60 kar sevaks.

“It is because of this appeasement politics that the father of Bihar's shehzada (allusion to Tejashwi Yadav) had tried to save those who were responsible for the Godhra train burning incident," said Modi, adding that “after all, it was the rule of Sonia madam.”

“He (Lalu Prasad Yadav), who has himself been convicted (in fodder scam cases), was railway minister. He set up an inquiry committee and got a report, which exonerated those guilty of the horrendous crime. But the court threw the report away," said Modi.

Kicking off his gruelling campaign schedule for the day from Palamu, Jharkhand, the PM took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him and said Pakistan wanted him as the Prime Minister, but India wants “a strong country with a strong government”.

"Maa Bharati's disrespect won't be tolerated anymore. New India's surgical and air strikes shook Pakistan, which was known for supporting terror attacks on India during the Congress regime… The new India knows how to enter enemy territory and strike... Shaken by the surgical and air strikes, leaders in Pakistan are now praying that the Congress' ‘shehzada' becomes PM of India... But our strong nation wants a strong government and leader," Modi said at the rally to campaign for the BJP candidate from Palamu, V.D. Ram.

The Prime Minister said that earlier, after any terror attack on the country, the Congress-led governments were "helpless". But that has changed under the strong BJP-led government at the Centre. Now, Pakistan is “seeking help from the world to save the nation”.

He told the audience that their one vote had contributed to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya after generations struggled for 500 years, as well as the scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Congress and the INDI alliance want to usurp your land. They want to snatch SC, ST and OBCs' quotas to provide reservations to Muslims by altering the Constitution. Till I am alive, I will not now allow any such design of the Congress to succeed,” he asserted.

In his address, the Prime Minister claimed that over 25-crore people came out of poverty in the last 10 years of the NDA government. He said: “The Congress never bothered for the welfare of people. The party's shehzada was born with a silver spoon and poses for the camera when he visits the house of the poor. But it is my commitment to transform India…There has been no blot of corruption on me in the past 25 years as Chief Minister and Prime Minister. I don't own a home or even a bicycle... The corrupt JMM and the Congress leaders have amassed huge wealth for their children.”

In Sisai, Lohardaga, Modi said the NDA government has “unmasked” corrupt forces and all those who indulged in corruption will face action under law in the next five years.

Hitting out at jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren without taking his name, Modi said: "The former Jharkhand CM is behind bars for corruption... Modi is committed to wipe out the menace of corruption. In the next five years, all those who indulged in corruption will face legal action," he said.

“The INDI alliance leaders, neck-deep in corruption, hold rallies, including in Delhi and Ranchi, voicing support for corrupt people, which reveals their true character,” the PM said.

Modi also blamed the Congress for the “backwardness” of tribal districts, alleging that food grains used to rot in godowns during the UPA regime from 2004 to 2014, while tribal children died due to starvation.

Modi said the NDA government ensured that the poor got access to the internet unlike the Congress, which was “against” it.

“Today's youths are the heroes of social media. The Congress had made the internet a thing for the rich, but Modi ensured it became available for the poor. We made mobile data affordable for all," he said.

The PM also slammed the Congress for not taking any action against Maoists “to preserve the party's votebank”. He said: “But, as long as Modi is alive, no one will be allowed to put tribal lives at risk.”

Modi also accused the Opposition parties of “trying to rob” SC, ST, OBC and tribals of reservations because of the “disillusionment” these deprived sections feel towards the INDIA bloc.

“The INDI alliance is trying to divert reservations to Muslims. They are going against the views of Babasaheb Ambedkar and first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, neither of whom was in favour of reservations on religious lines," Modi claimed.

He also slammed Tejashwi Yadav for bringing up the "Hindu Muslim narrative" at rallies while talking about the Agnipath scheme” and said, “When we talk about the martyrdom of Captain Hameed, do we think of him as a Muslim?”

Without referring to Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav by their names, he said, "There is a shehzada in Delhi and one in Patna, both of whom think of the country as their jaagir (fiefdom)." He added: “Their mindset was exposed when they raised questions about the surgical strikes and spoke ill of the armed forces."

A large crowd cheered for the Prime Minister at the Kanpur roadshow in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Modi visited the Gumati Gurdwara before starting his roadshow in support of the BJP's candidates for the Kanpur and Akbarpur Lok Sabha seats.