'Will make Pakistan wear bangles': PM Modi takes jibe at Farooq Abdullah

'They [Pakistan] don't have flour, they don't have electricity, now I have come to know that they even have a scarcity of bangles,' said PM Modi in Bihar

Lok Sabha elections: In a scathing attack on the INDIA bloc over remarks made by Farooq Abdullah and Mani Shankar Aiyar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India would make cash-strapped Pakistan wear bangles if it weren't wearing any.

Earlier this month, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, reacting to Union Minister Rajnath Singh's vow to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said the country was not wearing bangles and had atomic bombs that could harm India.

Without naming Abdullah, PM Modi highlighted Pakistan's economic problems.

"Pakistan ne choodiyan nahi pehni hain, are bhai pehna denge. Ab unko aata bhi chahiye, unke pass bijli bhi nahi hai, ab humein maloom nahi ki unke pass choodiyan bhi nahi hai [If Pakistan is not wearing bangles, we will make them wear bangles. They don't have flour, they don't have electricity, now I have come to know that they even have a scarcity of bangles]," PM Modi said in Bihar's Muzaffarpur.

An old video featuring Mani Shankar Aiyar recently gained traction, wherein the Congress veteran advocated for the Indian government to "respect Pakistan" due to its possession of atomic bombs.

In response to Aiyar's remarks, Prime Minister Modi said last week that the Congress has been attempting to instill fear among the populace. He stated that such a timid stance had previously encouraged cross-border terrorism. Additionally, he took a dig at Pakistan, highlighting its unsuccessful attempts to market its nuclear arsenal due to perceived inferior quality.

PM Modi further said today that his government had confiscated illegal funds amounting to Rs 2,200 crore over the past decade.

During an address in Hajipur, PM Modi accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress of prioritising their vote banks over the welfare of Bihar's citizens. He lambasted the RJD for ushering in a period of lawlessness termed "Jungle Raj" in the state.

In reference to Lalu Prasad Yadav's advocacy for Muslim reservations, the Prime Minister said the Congress and RJD will snatch away the reservation provided to Dalits, backwards and tribals by the Constitution.

Additionally, he alleged that leaders from the Congress and RJD were preoccupied with promoting their own progeny's interests.