Cong playing with fire by stoking up communal passions: BJP

Hitting back after Congress' march to Rashtrapati Bhavan, BJP today alleged the opposition party was playing with fire by "stoking up communal passions" by projecting "falsehoods", asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the most powerful voice against bigotry and prejudice.
Describing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi-led march as a "desperate attempt by a fading dynasty" to retain marginal relevance when it stared at "disaster" in the Bihar polls, BJP claimed that it was indulging in the politics of despair having run out of ideas and lost all moorings to reality.
"A morally and politically bankrupt Congress leadership is playing with fire by stoking up sectarian passions for electoral gain through the projection of falsehoods.

"It is a desperate attempt by a fading dynasty to retain marginal relevance at a time when it is facing utter disaster in Bihar elections. The empty spaces at Rahul Gandhi's meetings in Bihar provide a visual foretaste of the results to comes," BJP spokesperson M J Akbar told a press conference.
On Sonia Gandhi's charge Modi was endorsing incidents of hate, Akbar said the Prime Minister had spoken repeatedly, whether from the Red Fort, in his public meetings or 'Mann ki Baat', in support of harmony and against bigotry.
"His pain and anguish at certain tragedies has been not just apparently but publicly stressed," he said, recalling his statement that Hindus and Muslims should not fight each other but unite to fight poverty together.

Akbar also raked up the recent reports on the Congress chief's son-in-law Robert Vadra's land transaction involving shell companies and said the party leadership had been "rattled" by these revelations.

"False drama will not screen these facts from the people," he said.
BJP alleged that Congress started this "farce of a protest" in reaction to investigation "reaching the doorsteps" of the Gandhi family.
"This is not an ordinary march. This march is happening when you are going to get caught and investigation has come to your doorstep. Knowing very well that within a few days your story will be over and people of this country will know that you stand for corruption and corruption alone, you have started this farce of a march," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

Sonia Gandhi had led a march of top party leaders to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against the climate of growing intolerance in the country and accused Modi of "endorsing" incidents of hate.