Congress has problem with patriotism, not abusing me: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the Congress saying that the party had a problem saying "Bharat Mata ki jai" but found pleasure in abusing him. He said that the country will now decide whether it would be run by "desh bhakti" (patriotism) or by "gaali bhakti" (abuse).

Modi was addressing a rally here for the BJP candidate from Ratlam. "Bofors scam, submarine scam, helicopter scam, 2G scam all took place during Congress rule, but if you question them about these, you are told "hua toh hua (so what)," he said making a snide reference to Congress leader Sam Pitroda's remark on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Last week replying to a question on the 1984 genocide, in which 3,000 Sikhs were killed, Pitroda said, "Hua to hua. Hua to kya hua. It happens, so what."

The Prime Minister accused the past Congress regimes of playing with the lives of Indian soldiers saying that they lost their lives in Naxal attacks for want of bulletproof jackets. "But if you question them about these, you are told hua toh hua (so what)," he said.

According to Modi: "Bomb blasts, by people with links across the border, were the routine in the country once. It was the wrong policies of the past Congress governments that created the term 'Hindu terror'. The Congress conspired to tarnish the great Hindu tradition and save the real culprits, who continued to spill the blood of innocents."

Modi also hit out at Congress candidate from Bhopal Digvijaya Singh for not casting his vote in the Rajgarh parliamentary constituency on Sunday, saying that the Congress leader had set an unhealthy precedent for young voters.

"The country is electing its representatives, even I went to Ahmedabad to cast my vote. The President and the Vice-President of the country were standing in queues to cast their votes. But 'Diggi Raja' didn't feel the need to cast his vote. What message are you giving to the young generation, Diggi Raja? You are committing a sin. A big sin," he said.

--IANS

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