Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday for remarks he made the day before in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, Kharge referred to PM Modi’s recent speech at a rally in Rajasthan and mentioned the scrapping of Article 370, which he called ‘Article 371’ in a slip of the tongue, and stated it was not Rajasthan’s issue but of Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a rally in Bihar’s Nawada, PM Modi said, “Modi gave a guarantee to scrap Article 370 in Kashmir. What was the result? We did it. They (INDIA bloc) talk about (saving) Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution, but you did not implement it in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“You sang in the tunes about the Constitution. But, this Modi took Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir after so many years,” he added.
The Prime Minister quoted Kharge’s remarks regarding Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir, stating that young people from Bihar and Rajasthan made the supreme sacrifice by travelling to Jammu and Kashmir to defend it.
“I felt ashamed listening to it. Congress should listen to me. The youths of Rajasthan and Bihar gave their supreme sacrifice while protecting Jammu and Kashmir. And you are saying ‘Kashmir se kya lena dena’ (what is the relevance of Kashmir). This reflects the mindset of the ‘tukde-tukde gang‘,” he said.
“Should we apologise to these people for using such language? Should we entertain disrespect of those who sacrificed their lives?” PM Modi added.
In Nawada, where PM Modi held the rally, the BJP has fielded Vivek Thakur, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP and son of former Union Minister CP Thakur. Polling is scheduled to be held in Nawada, Gaya, Aurangabad, and Jamui Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase on April 19.
Under the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will contest on 17 seats, while its ally Janata Dal (United) will contest on 16 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest from five Lok Sabha seats.
(With inputs from agencies)
