Amit Shah says Congress raising 2002 riots issue for votes

Hours after Congress leader asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "apologise in Jama Masjid" for the 2002 riot, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday tore into the party, saying the matter is being raised to consolidate votes in the ongoing Gujarat Assembly election.

Shah, while addressing the media here, termed the allegation levelled against the prime minister as false and baseless.

"Congress' Charan Singh said Prime Minister Modi must go inside Jama Masjid and apologies for 2002 riots. Entire nation knows the allegations levelled on the Prime Minster by the Congress backed NGO were all false and he is faultless. Yet for vote bank consolidation, 2002 is being raised in 2017," Shah told the media here.

Further, continuing his attack, the BJP Chief said that the Congress Party is laying foundation of Gujarat election on casteism and has been creator of polarisation in the country.

He even questioned the suspended Congress leader, Mani Shankar Aiyar's meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner and other party leader at the former's residence and said that, "Right before Gujarat election, without informing MEA, conducting a meeting with Pakistan envoy... don't know what message it conveys."

Racking up the issue of alleged Congress youth leader Salman Nizami, Shah said that the one who has vowed for Kashmir's 'freedom', is being launched for campaigning in Gujarat and the matter is being leaked for the consolidation of vote bank.

"People of Gujarat can see through the cunning ways of Congress," he added.

The BJP Chief, in his tirade, dragged Jignesh Mewani, the backward caste assembly candidate backed by the Congress in the Gujarat elections for accepting money from Popular Front of India (PFI) and slammed the Congress for giving up their seat for Mewani for vote bank consolidation.

"Jignesh Mewani's pictures of accepting money from PFI has gone viral. PFI has always indulged in anti-national activities. Rahul Gandhi meets such a person who has relations with an anti-national outfit and the Congress gives up its seat for him for vote bank consolidation," he said.

"Congress knew of his relations with PFI otherwise they would have given him a Congress ticket. They knew of the relations so they made him contest as an independent candidate and supported him from outside," he added.