PATNA: Congress has veered towards 'extremism' in its quest for votes in Gujarat, said Bihar CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Monday. He reiterated that the BJP would register a 'solid victory' in the assembly elections in PM Narendra Modi's home state because people there are proud of the fact that one of their 'dhartiputras' (sons of the soil) is the country's Prime Minister.
Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples and his party's claim that he is a 'janeu-dhari Hindu', Nitish said, "Are the persons like me who don't wear a janeu (sacred thread) not a Hindu? Congress has veered towards 'extremism' in its quest for votes in Gujarat. I have personally no objection to anyone visiting either a temple, mosque or a mazaar. But, we see these days that people are going to even unheard of places for votes."
Attacking Congress for allegedly ignoring minority community in distribution of party tickets in the Gujarat assembly elections, Nitish said, "What is the population of Muslim community in Gujarat? And, how many tickets they (Congress) have given to them? Moreover, the members of minority community are not being given enough opportunity to address the Congress rallies there."
Raising the alleged "absence" of Congress senior Ahmad Patel from the election campaign, Nitish said people in Gujarat ask as to why he is not seen in the election rallies.
The CM also pointed out that the Congress has alienated itself from all those Hindus who don't wear the sacred thread. He said the system of wearing 'janeu' was a mark of "caste-based inequality" that was once vehemently opposed by veteran socialist leader Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. Nitish said JP had once refused to wear the sacred thread and had also asked his followers to discard 'janeu'. On the call of JP, thousands of people in Bihar and other states had discarded the sacred threat.
Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples and his party's claim that he is a 'janeu-dhari Hindu', Nitish said, "Are the persons like me who don't wear a janeu (sacred thread) not a Hindu? Congress has veered towards 'extremism' in its quest for votes in Gujarat. I have personally no objection to anyone visiting either a temple, mosque or a mazaar. But, we see these days that people are going to even unheard of places for votes."
Attacking Congress for allegedly ignoring minority community in distribution of party tickets in the Gujarat assembly elections, Nitish said, "What is the population of Muslim community in Gujarat? And, how many tickets they (Congress) have given to them? Moreover, the members of minority community are not being given enough opportunity to address the Congress rallies there."
Raising the alleged "absence" of Congress senior Ahmad Patel from the election campaign, Nitish said people in Gujarat ask as to why he is not seen in the election rallies.
The CM also pointed out that the Congress has alienated itself from all those Hindus who don't wear the sacred thread. He said the system of wearing 'janeu' was a mark of "caste-based inequality" that was once vehemently opposed by veteran socialist leader Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. Nitish said JP had once refused to wear the sacred thread and had also asked his followers to discard 'janeu'. On the call of JP, thousands of people in Bihar and other states had discarded the sacred threat.
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