Gohana/Hisar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out Friday at the Congress over its stand on Article 370. He sarcastically said its statements are being used by Pakistan against India and asked what kind of ‘chemistry’ Congress shares with the neighbouring country.
With the BJP making scrapping of Article 370 in J&K a big poll issue, Narendra Modi said parties like the Congress can neither understand sentiments of people nor respect sacrifices made by brave jawans.
Modi made this remarks while addressing an election rally at Gohana for the October 21 polls. “Should I take decisions in national interest or not, should national interest be above politics or not? But the Congress is not able to understand this feeling of people of Sonipat and people of Haryana,” Modi told the gathering.
Making a stinging attack on the Congress, Modi said the party is in ‘pain’ since August 5 when the Centre decided to abrogate special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Do you recall what happened August 5? On that day such a thing happened which no one could have imagined, about which in a way the country had given up hope. August 5, India’s Constitution in entirety became applicable in J&K. For 70 years, what was stumbling block in development of J&K and Ladakh, we removed that,” Modi said.
“But since then Congress and parties like them are in a pain that no medicine is able to cure. And Congress is suffering from such a disease that when we talk of Swachh India, surgical strike, they have a problem and if anyone takes Balakot’s name, their pain increases,” Modi added.
Narendra Modi said statements made by Congress leaders on scrapping Article 370 are being used by Pakistan.
“Now, the country knows why Congress goes through this pain, for whose sympathy, for whom it is? You have seen the statements Congress leaders made on Kashmir are helping whom, who is taking benefit of such statements and where these are used. Do you know who is taking benefit of these,” asked Modi and when the crowds replied ‘Pakistan’, Modi told them “you are correct.”
“I tell the Congress that they can oppose Modi, can make as many accusations and speak as much lies they want,” he said, adding as long as he has the people’s blessings, it was not going to affect him.
“Whatever good or bad you have to say about Modi, do that, but at least respect ‘Ma Bharti’. Don’t cross the limits in the manner which causes harm to the country,” asserted the Prime Minister.
Gohana falls in Sonipat district, which is considered as a stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Out of six Assembly segments in Sonipat, five are represented by Congress MLAs and one BJP. From Baroda here, the BJP this time has fielded wrestler-turned-politician Yogeshwar Dutt.
However, both Hooda and his son Deepender Singh Hooda lost the Lok Sabha polls from Sonipat and Rohtak parliamentary constituencies, respectively and Modi took a veiled dig at them, telling people, “You broke arrogance of big leaders in Lok Sabha polls.”
In a veiled attack on the Hoodas, Modi said, “Those who were thinking that Sonipat, Rohtak and Jind are their bastions, people gave their verdict (in LS polls).”
The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana.
Modi also said the Khattar government has ended the ‘Kharchi and Parchi wala Congress culture’ (corruption and favouritism) and has given a clean and transparent regime.
“Under Congress, interest of jawans, farmers and sportsmen were not safe. They grew crop of corruption on land of farmers and in sports, they harvested produce of scams,” he alleged.
In another rally in Hisar, Modi said Congress has already accepted ‘defeat’ in Haryana elections.
PTI