New Delhi: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday hit out at the Congress party stating that it is part of the party’s “DNA to create divide.” “Dividing people on communal and caste lines is part of DNA of Congress Party. The way Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu today has made an appeal to minority voters in Katihar shows that,” Prasad said at a press meet of the BJP here.
Prasad was referring to the speech by cricketer-turned-politican Navjot Singh Sidhu in Katihar where he warned Muslims not to split their votes but instead defeat the BJP by voting against it unitedly. The BJP press conference also played a clip of Sidhu. The union minister also hit out at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her “advising” the BJP on nationalism.
“Priyanka Gandhi Ji, your Congress party is no more what the old Congress party was. I know that Congress participated in the freedom struggle but Congress today encourages ‘tukde-tukde’ gang, asks evidence on the sacrifice of Armed Forces,” said Prasad. He said that present Congress is very different from the erstwhile Congress that participated in the freedom movement. Being a woman, Priyanka Vadra is opposing law to ban Triple Talaq due to vote bank politics and she is giving us lecture on nationalism, he said.
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He said that Priyanka Gandhi who allegedly advised BJP on nationalism and said that “BJP’s nationalism is different and ours’ different” must remember the Sachar Committee report in their government that allegedly “advised that head should be counted in Army based on the community”. “It is the part of Congress DNA to divide. This precedent is not new when in JNU slogans of breaking India into pieces were raised then Rahul Gandhi went to support and address students there. What kind of nationalism was flourishing there?” he asked.
Prasad said that all opposition speaks in one tone and tenor on the issue of nationalism. “All have one voice. What Priyanka Ji has said Mayawati says it in a different form. Sidhu says the same thing in a different manner. Mamata Banerjee says the same thing while campaigning,” said Prasad. On the issue of ‘illegal immigrants’ and NRC he said the government is committed to give shelter to those who are tortured because of their faith.
“We will give shelter to those who come because they were tortured because of their faith. Be it Hindu, Christain or Sikh. But we will oppose those who try to enter illegally,” said Prasad. The union minister alleged that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was contesting from Wayanad in Kerala to encourage the politics of divide. “At the time of elections, voices are raised from Kashmir that they will break India into pieces whenever they want. The ‘tukde-tukde’ gang thinks like that and I believe that Rahul Gandhi contesting fromWayanad is the promotion of the politics I am talking about,” he said.