'Cong disrespecting Patel by comparing his statue with China-made footwear'

Reacting sharply to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent statement on the Statue of Unity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that Congress and its leaders are disrespecting Sardar Patel by comparing his statue with China-made footwear.

On September 27, Rahul Gandhi took potshots at the Prime Minister Modi saying, the statue which his government is highlighting is made in China. "Narendra Modi is making Sardar Patel's statue in Gujarat. It will be world's tallest statue but it will be 'Made In China' like our shoes and shirts,"

Prime Minister Modi further said that the Congress party has such hatred for Sardar Patel, that they cannot tolerate him being honoured.

"They (Congress) have never respected Sardar Vallabhai Patel, and when today, he is being honoured, the Congress cannot digest it. The Congress hated Sardar Vallabhai Patel so much that they called the Statue of Unity 'Made in China' and compared it with 'Made in China' shoes. Should we now compare his name and his talent with shoes?" Prime Minister said during a video interaction with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) booth level workers from Bilaspur, Basti, Dhanbad, Chittorgarh and Mandsaur.

"The entire country knows that the Congress government was corrupt and unsuccessful. In the last four years, they have been arrogant, insensitive and detached from the common man as an Opposition party," he said.

The Prime Minister added that the main agenda of Congress was to blame others, spread fake news, and shamelessly resort to lies. "They spread lies of Pakyong Airport, and also on bullet train saying that the funding has been stopped."

He further attacked the Congress for questioning the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army on terror pads across the Line of Control in 2016.

"The whole country has seen the Congress' attitude towards Surgical Strikes and even until today the Congress Party continues to question it. The Congress has reached an extent where they not only oppose us but also the Indian Army and its valour. The country remembers that Congress party had also refused to celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas," he said.

Saluting the valour of the Indian Army, he added: "For the struggle, dedication and sacrifice that our security forces make to protect the country, we bow to the security forces."

Praising the BJP -led government, the Prime Minister said that every section of the society has witnessed development under the party's motto of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'. While mentioning various development works under the tenure of the BJP, Prime Minister Modi underlined that Naxal terror has seen a decline by 20 per cent and around 3,500 Naxals have surrendered between 2014 and 2017. He added that the country is now even more adept to face challenges posed by Naxalism.

Talking about his engagement with the cadre, the Prime Minister said: "I think political parties rarely get a chance to interact with booth-level workers, who know the ground reality, with the medium of technology."

The interaction was aimed at creating awareness about the work done by the BJP and Prime Minister Modi among party workers at every level, and carry this message to the people as country heads for elections in major states this year and general elections in 2019.