'Forked tongue' PM, his party support leads to atrocities on Dalits: Congress

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on cow protection, the Congress on Sunday said it is because of the support of the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre that atrocities against Dalits are taking place across the nation.

"The Prime Minister is speaking in a forked tongue. It is precisely because of the tacit and open support provided by Modi and his government, lumpenism in the name of cow has reached such endemic proportion," Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI.

Tewari said Prime Minister Modi was not reacting on the issue as he was trying to conceal it and to create polarization later on.

"His ideological co-travelers who have been perpetrating this specter of uncertainty and terror in the name of cow lumpenism across the country, thereby whatever the Prime Minister says today is absolutely humbug and is completely sanctimonious," he added.

Prime Minister Modi yesterday while addressing the concluding session of the Town Hall meeting organised at Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex said some people have opened shops in the name of cow protection, which makes him very angry.

"I am very much angry on those who have opened their occupation in the name of 'Gau Raksha' (cow protection). There are many 'Gau Rakshaks' (cow protectors). They protect cows to hide their illegal occupations. Cows mostly die of eating plastic bags and these gau rakshaks should urge people not to throw plastics on the roads. This will be a big sewa," he added.