If not PM, who should have spoken about A-SAT launch: Rajnath hits out at Congress

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday rejected Congress' allegations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to take credit for the successful test of the A-SAT missile.

"Congressmen are asking why Prime Minister should have taken the credit for A-SAT. If not Prime Minister, then who should have spoken about it?" Rajnath asked while addressing a rally here.

"Our scientists were ready with A-SAT in 2007 itself but these (Congress) people did not allow it. Our Prime Minister told the scientists to march ahead. If some country attempts to destroy our satellite, our missile will destroy the hostile missile," he claimed.

Lauding the Narendra Modi-led central government for its development initiatives and tough stand vis-a-vis terrorism, Rajnath said, "We won't let the country's head down."

He lamented the Congress party for asking the number of casualties inflicted in air strikes saying that "no one was able to escape (unharmed)".

The Home Minister also criticised the Congress party for "lowering the dignity" of the institution of the Prime Minister by saying "chowkidar chor hai".

"They (Congress) are saying anything. Don't know what happened to the Congress president? They said, "chowkidar chor hai". Prime Minister, President are institutions and not individuals," he said while asserting that if the integrity of institutions in a healthy democracy is damaged, democracy dies and dictatorship is born.

"If you begin to find faults, you will find faults in god too. Where does the Congress want to take this country?" the Home Minister asked.

Urging the people to vote for BJP government once again, he said, "It is necessary to have BJP governments both in the centre and the state to develop a mountainous state like Uttarakhand. It won't work with single-engine. The double engine is required which you have given.