Narendra Modi accuses Congress of trying to divide society

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday leveraged the Uttar Pradesh civic elections results to assert a repeat performance was on the cards in Gujarat. ‘‘You have seen what has happened there. UP knows the Congress and so does Gujarat,” he said while speaking at a poll rally in Bharuch.

The prime minister, who resumed his election campaign in his home state on Sunday, accused the Congress of resorting to divisive politics and creating ”walls amongst brothers”. ‘‘They make one caste fight another, pit one religion against another and while the innocent lose their lives it makes merry in the process,” he added.

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In sharp contrast, Modi pointed out that his party stood for development and had fulfilled that agenda. ‘‘See for yourself. Two of the districts which saw maximum development were Bharuch and Kutch which have a significant Muslim population.’’ While taking the opposition to task for not supporting his government on the bullet train, Modi said that those opposing it should travel by bullock carts, ‘‘we have no objections.’’

”The high speed rail corridor being built by the state-run Japan International Cooperation Agency had great employment potential. All the raw material and the labour will be Indian and it is the Japanese who will be buying it. Bharuch will benefit, India will benefit,” he added, pointing out that curfew and communal riots were an almost every day occurrence here and it was the BJP government which had changed all this. After taking the Congress to task for ‘creating walls’ between religions and communities, Modi indirectly upbraided the Gandhinagar Archbishop for urging the Christian community to pray so that ”nationalists” are not elected.

‘‘A fatwa has been issued to remove nationalists. It is in our culture and our nationalism to stands with the needy without looking at caste, creed or religion. If somebody has problems with it, then that is a matter of concern,” he added. Giving examples of Father Tom who was abducted in 2016 by terrorists in the Middle East and Judith D’Souza from Bengal who was abducted in Afghanistan, he said that his government had worked to ensure their return. This is our nationalism,” he added.

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The Archbishop had on November 21 clarified to the Election Commission that his call to the Christian community was to pray for the victory of ”humane leaders faithful to the Indian constitution” and was not a partisan appeal, either in favour or against any party”.

Speaking at a rally in Surendranagar, the Prime Minister attacked the Congress for lack of inner party democracy. ”If you don’t have democracy in your own party, how can you practice it in the country?” The reference was to the internal polls of the Congress due later this week, in which Rahul Gandhi is expected to take over the party’s reigns from party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Shehzad Poonawalla of the Congress had alleged that the party president’s election was rigged to favour Rahul Gandhi. ”There is a man named Shehzad. He had asked a question to the Shehzada. After talking so much about tolerance they have issued a fatwa that Shehzad should be removed from every WhatsApp group. This is the same party that charges us with intolerance”, Modi said.