Modi attacks Rahul over ISI comment

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Friday attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for alleging that the Pakistani intelligence was in touch with Muslim youths affected by the Muzaffarnagar communal riots.

Addressing his second rally in Uttar Pradesh, Modi asked Gandhi to either apologize publicly or name those allegedly contacted by the Pakistani intelligence.

Reacting to remarks made by Gandhi at Indore Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader also wanted to know why the Intelligence Bureau had to brief the Congress leader on the alleged ISI role.

“Who is this shehzaada (prince) and why are IB people briefing him, in what capacity?” the Gujarat chief minister roared, as the crowds applauded seemingly endlessly.

The BJP leader also wanted to know what the Congress government was doing if the Inter-Services Intelligence was indeed spreading its tentacles in Uttar Pradesh.

He said that with this “one irresponsible statement”, Gandhi had tarred an entire community.

Modi also took a jibe at Gandhi for making emotional speeches by saying that he (Modi) had not come to “wail and weep”.

“Main yahan rone dhone nahin aaya hoon. Main ansoon bahane waalon ki tarah koi katha sunane nahin aaya hoon. Main aapke aansoon ponchne ka vishwaas dilane aaya hoon.” (I have not come here to wail and weep, nor have I come to narrate you tales. I have come here to wipe your tears.)

Modi questioned Gandhi’s silence on issues like corruption and inflation.

Trying to hit a chord with the farmers in the impoverished Bundelkhand region, Modi said he wanted to ask the Congress-led government in Delhi as to why farmers in Congress-ruled states were committing suicide.

He said the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party were not concerned about the people and their problems.

“The sole agenda of these parties is to capture power,” he said, and referred to the Congress as “experts in doling out sops in the run up to elections”.

Calling Gandhi ‘shehzaada’, he said the Congress leader was travelling to various parts of the country and talking about special packages.

“This is not the time for packages. It is time to pack these parties up now,” he said, as the crowd shouted pro-Modi slogans.

He urged people to give the BJP 60 months — as they had wasted 60 years with the Congress. “Give us five years and we will change the state of the country and make your lives prosperous.”

-IANS