Gandhinagar: Prime minister Narendra Modi continued with his attack on the Congress party on Saturday, this time saying that the party was asking who Modi's mother and father are.
Addressing a campaign rally on the first phase polling day, Modi quoted a Congress worker, Salman Nizami, as questioning his ancestry.
The attack comes soon after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended from the party on Thursday for making derogatory remarks against Modi.
Modi, campaigning for the BJP for the second phase of polls, addressing a large gathering in Lunawada, said: "Congress is asking who is my father and mother. I ask you brothers and sisters, do we talk in such language with even an enemy? A responsible Congress leader asked me that. Now I'll tell you about him. He is originally a person from Azad Kashmir. Would you give your vote to such Azad Kashmiris?"
He said, "Rahul Gandhi's party is asking me who are my parents. The people of my country are my parents. I am the son of this soil, this Lunawada."
Modi continued, "Congress has abandoned all shame in using words, their language, in action. Congress is on the verge of defeat in elections. The Congress is spreading so many lies. They also spread lies that your hard earned money in the banks will be seized by bankrupt banks. It is a crime to spread such lies. The reality is that banks in the country came in trouble because of the sins of Congress. Our government is the government to care for the common people. Till December 14 (second phase polls) many such lies will come."
Once again claiming to come from a humble background in an apparent attempt to gain sympathy, Modi said, "I ask brothers of the Bakshi community, if we are born in lower caste does it make us useless? If someone tells us that we are lowly, will it be liked by us? Should not such people be punished? Promise me that you will punish such people on the 14th."
Accusing the Congress of stalling the Triple Talaq issue, Modi said, "Just because of petty reasons, like too much salt in the food, Muslim sisters were being given Talaq, and these Muslim sisters with tiny children used to go from pillar to post. They years ago went to (then prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi to solve the issue. Rajiv Gandhi too wanted to solve it, but the Congress leaders warned him and said, 'Elections are coming don't do it' and so they stalled that for decades. The Congress which goes on begging for Muslim votes deprived Muslim sisters of their rights. Now the Modi government is brining in a law that will have three years of punishment for such Triple Talaqs."
Modi continued, "Congress says that Modi works for the rich. I ask you brothers and sisters, do the rich have to live in dirt and filth? Do the Tatas, the Ambanis have to live in dirt? Modi carried out works to clean this filth through cleanliness drives. But that is not liked by the Congress. Punish the Congress party which has such negativity, and make the BJP win with 150 plus seats so that the people of the country know that Modi's insult is Gujarat's insult."
