Hindus and Muslims should battle poverty, says Modi

Hindus and Muslims should battle poverty instead of fighting one another, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said Sunday.

Addressing a huge rally at the Gandhi Maidan here, Modi touched upon the subject of Hindus and Muslims in his characteristic style.

"Do the Hindus want to fight against poverty or against Muslims?" he thundered, his question seemingly directed at the Hindu section of the audience.

He quickly added: "Do the Muslims want to fight against poverty or against Hindus?"

The Gujarat chief minister went on to answer the question himself, saying both the communities needed to battle poverty.

Modi added that the only answer to the economic woes of the nation was economic development -- "vikas, vikas, vikas!"

Modi pointed out how some of the most visible economic development in Gujarat was taking place in Kutch and another district where Muslims lived in large numbers.