LOK SABHA ELECTIONS
'Congress insulted Hindus'
Modi launches broadside against opposition at campaign rally
♦ Congress had branded 'peace-loving Hindus' as terrorists: Modi
♦ He accused the Congress, NCP of questioning valour of soldiers after J&K attack
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apparently attacking Rahul Gandhi over his decision to contest from a second seat, Kerala's Wayanad, in this month's national election, said yesterday that the Congress was "afraid" of fielding candidates from constituencies dominated by majority population because it had insulted Hindus by using the term "Hindu terror".
The Congress had branded "peace-loving Hindus" as terrorists and knew it would be punished by the community, PM Modi said at a rally in Maharashtra, offering his theory of why Rahul Gandhi had decided to contest a second seat apart from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
"The Congress insulted Hindus. People have decided to punish it in the election. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority," PM Modi said, launching the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance's campaign for the April-May national election in Wardha.
"Congress used the term 'Hindu terror'...it labelled peace-loving Hindus as terrorists...is there a single incident of Hindu terrorism? The people will never forgive the Congress for this insult," Modi said.
He also accused the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party of questioning the valour of soldiers and insulting them after the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent air strike by the Indian Air Force targeting a terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot. "These parties spoke the language of Pakistan," he said.
The Congress announced on the weekend that Rahul Gandhi would contest from Wayanad, a move that the party calls its outreach to the southern states. The BJP, however, says the move reflects that Rahul Gandhi is not confident of his three-time constituency Amethi, so decided to contest from another seat this time, reported NDTV online.
Modi also hit out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who he said, chose not to contest the Lok Sabha election after deciding to do so first.
This was because the NCP chief sensed an unfavourable situation, Modi said, taunting the latter for "shying away" from poll fight.