PM Modi warns against ‘vote jihad’

PM Modi in Gujarat. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dubbed the Congress party a "disciple" of Pakistan, and said the neighbouring country was eager to make the ‘shehzada' of the grand old party the next prime minister of India.

Addressing a poll rally in Anand town of central Gujarat in support of BJP candidates for Anand and Kheda Lok Sabha seats, PM Modi also took a dig at Congress over opposition leader Salman Khurshid's niece Maria Alam's call for ‘vote jihad'.

"Now, the INDI alliance calls for ‘vote jihad'. We have so far heard about ‘love jihad' and ‘land Jihad'. This (vote jihad) is said by a person who belonged to an educated Muslim family, not by someone who studied in a madrasa. I hope you all know what the meaning of jihad is. This is an insult to democracy and not a single Congress leader has condemned it," he said.

He alleged that Congress wants to change country's Constitution to give reservation of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC communities to Muslims.

Kharge fires back: PM's speeches divisive lies

In a scathing attack on PM Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said when the elections are over, people will only remember him as the PM who indulged in "divisive and communal speeches filled with lies" to avoid an inevitable defeat. Kharge urged the PM to seek votes on performance of his government instead of indulging in "hate speeches". The Congress president made the remarks in a letter to PM Modi in which he rebutted the attack and charges levelled against his party in the PM's letter to NDA candidates after the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Modi has asked the BJP-led NDA candidates in the Lok Sabha polls to spread awareness among voters about the Congress's intention to snatch "reservation from SC, ST and OBC communities and give it away to their vote bank".

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever