Don't forget note ban made you seek bail: PM Modi's dig at Gandhis

PM addressed a rally in Chhattisgarh; in the first phase, several booths see polling for the first time in 15 yrs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the Congress’  dynastic politics, and said its leadership of “mother-son duo”, a reference to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had to seek bail because of his demonetisation decision.

The PM addressed a public rally in Bilaspur in poll-bound Chhattisgarh in the afternoon. Of the 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh, 18 across eight Maoist-influenced districts had polling on Monday in the first phase. Voting in Bilaspur, as part of the remaining 72 seats, is scheduled for the second phase on November 20.

According to the Election Commission, overall voter turnout was 58.55 per cent till 5.30 pm on the 18 seats, with polling taking place for the first time in 15-years in several polling stations. The EC said a voter turnout of 61.47 per cent was recorded in Kondagaon, 63.51 per cent in Keshkal, 62 per cent in Kanker, 58 per cent in Bastar, 49 per cent in Dantewada, 70.14 per cent in Khairagarh, 71 per cent in Dongargarh, 71 per cent in Dongargaon and 72 per cent in the Khujji constituency. Of the 18 seats, 12 were reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and one was for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

Congress leaders P L Punia and Bhupesh Baghel alleged rigging and malfunctioning of electronic voting machines, or EVMs, in some places. The Election Commission rejected the allegations. There were sporadic incidents of violence.

As for the PM’s speech, it was a rare reference to demonetisation by him in recent days. The second anniversary of ‘note ban’ on November 8 was observed as ‘black day’ by opposition parties and marked by protests.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the PM’s comment on the Congress leadership being out on bail needed to be ignored with the contempt it deserves. “Modi is the ‘emperor of untruth’, and demonetisation disastrous for the economy. Now he is indulging in spreading lies to conceal his black deeds,” Singhvi said.

In his speech, Modi said the Congress “politics begins and ends with one family, while our politics begins from the huts of the poor”. “They (the Gandhis) want an account of demonetisation. It was due to the demonetisation that fake companies were identified. And because of that you had to seek bail. Why do you forget that it was due to the note ban that you had to seek bail," the PM said.

Modi’s reference was possibly to the National Herald court case, and Congress sources pointed out that it was the PM’s “doublespeak” since that case had no link to demonetisation.

Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Herald newspaper, Monday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Centre's order ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the premises in the press enclave at ITO here.

"The BJP Government has embarked on a witch hunt and is pressurising the machinery to revoke lease of Herald House at any cost. National Herald, Qaumi Awaz and the Navjivan have the spine to speak the truth which makes those in power uneasy. "The Government's design will be defeated," Congress treasurer Ahmed Patel tweeted.

In a video-address to party workers, BJP president Amit Shah said his party’s win in the assembly polls would lay a strong foundation for the Modi government's return to power in 2019 and making it "invincible" for a long time.