E-Paper
Lok Sabha elections 2019: Congress coined ‘Hindu terror’, will be punished for it: PM Modi
PM said Opposition insulted Hindus by labelling the community as terrorist without any evidence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Congress coined the term “Hindu terror” despite there being no proof of any such incident in the history of the religion, without directly referring to the recent verdict in the Samjhauta Express blasts case that acquitted four people, including a prominent Hindtuva leader.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court last month freed Aseemanand, a former member of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate, and three others accused in the 2007 attack that killed 68 people, about 40 of them of Pakistani origin. The judge who delivered the verdict said he was doing so with “with deep pain and anguish”, adding that the “best evidence” was withheld by the prosecution.
Addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Wardha on Monday, Modi said the Congress insulted the Hindu community by labelling it as terrorist. He said the opposition parties will not be forgiven for their vote bank politics.
At a separate rally in Odisha, BJP chief Amit Shah also took on the Congress over the issue, saying the party has tried to “defame Hindus across the world”.
Responding to the remarks, the Congress accused Modi of spreading a lie, saying that the term “Hindu terrorism” was defined by his ministerial colleague, who was then a Union home secretary, an apparent reference to senior BJP leader, RK Singh. Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari, said terrorism does not have any religion or caste and it needs to be fought.
The Prime Minister kicked off the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Maharashtra campaign for this summer’s Lok Sabha elections from Wardha district in the Vidarbha region, where the ruling combine of the BJP and Shiv Sena won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general elections.
Attacking the alliance of the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in his speech, Modi said: “The Congress-NCP alliance keeps insulting the common Hindus, our brave soldiers, demands proof of the IAF (Indian Air Force) actions in Pakistan, etc., which is making them popular in the neighbouring country.”
“The term ‘Hindu terrorism’ was coined by Sushil Kumar Shinde, the then home minister. But a recent court verdict has made it clear that the Congress insulted the country. It insulted the peaceful Hindu community that believes the world is one family. Those who were blamed then have now woken up and the Congress will be punished for this act,” he added.
The PM also took a veiled dig at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Kerala’s Wayanad as his second seat. He said leaders are running scared that the Hindus will punish them, so they lack the courage to stand in Hindu-dominated constituencies and are finding minority-dominated seats for elections.
The Congress demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for his remarks. “Sensing defeat in the upcoming elections, Modi has gone to an extent of insulting India’s culture. He is playing cheap politics by sowing seeds of hatred. Do people of different religions not live in southern India?” asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Talking about the Indian Air Force strike on a terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot, Modi said the Congress and its allies were making statements that were being appreciated in Pakistan. “They are questioning the valour of our security forces,” he said.
The PM also criticised NCP chief, Sharad Pawar, in his speech. “Pawar is considered as one of the senior-most leaders of the country and doesn’t take a decision without much deliberation. He was ready to contest the election but suddenly chose not to go ahead as he knows which way the wind is blowing,” Modi said. and added “His nephew [Ajit Pawar] is making plans to hijack the party and the family is currently facing a rift over seat distribution.”
Responding to Modi’s remarks, the NCP said that it knew how to respect elders in its fold unlike Modi’s BJP, which unceremoniously dropped someone as senior as party patriarch, LK Advani, as an election candidate. “People are seeing what treatment you have meted out to your leader Advani saheb, who brought you into politics, made you chief minister, made you a leader,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
