PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Saturday accused former railway minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad of “shielding those guilty” in the two-decade-old Godhra train burning incident and “putting the blame on karsevaks” through the Banerjee Commission report on the incidents leading to the 2002 Gujarat riots. Addressing an election rally at Darbhanga, PM Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, alleged that Lalu Prasad, as the railway minister in the first UPA government (2004 to 2009), “acted in connivance with the Congress”, which headed the UPA. Without mentioning Prasad by name, Modi described the RJD supremo as one “serving sentences, out on bail (in fodder scam cases)”. He recalled that the Banerjee Commission, although headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, was often called “ben raazi (the sister is willing)”, and “under pressure” from Prasad it submitted a “bogus” report that “tried to exonerate those who were guilty and put the blame on karsevaks themselves”. “The court (Gujarat High Court) trashed the (Banerjee Commission) report (which called the Sabarmati train fire an accident). Everyone knew karvsevaks were torched. This is their history,” said the PM. He reiterated his claim that the Congress and the RJD were trying to “divide the country on religious lines by talking of quota for Muslims” and cautioned SCs/STs and OBCs against “attempts to reduce their share of reservation”. “When the Constitution was being framed, its makers, including Baba Saheb Ambedkar, had been against giving reservation on lines of religion. (Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru had also said no to it. Congress has hurt Nehru and backstabbed Ambedkar. By reducing the quota of OBC and Dalits, Congress wants to give it to Muslims. RJD has also been hand in glove with Congress on this,” Modi said. Further mounting the attack on the RJD, he said its leaders had started pointing “Hindus and Muslims in the defence forces”. “When a soldier receives bullets on his chest, he does so for the sake of his motherland. Is Abdul Hamid respected in Amritsar because he was a Muslim? These are the people who raise questions on surgical strikes and air strikes and also abuse the Army chief. These people always have Muslim appeasement in mind,” said the PM. Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, he said, “There is one shehzada in Delhi and another shehzada in Patna. They have similar report cards, which talk of scams.” “When bad days fell on the nation, Bihar was among the worst sufferers. We must not allow the state to return to the era of the lantern", said Modi, referring to the RJD's poll symbol. Praising Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Modi said, “Bihar had seen kidnapping industry. Our sisters and daughters were not able to come out of their homes after evening. It was Nitish Kumar who brought development to the state.” He announced three crore new homes for the poor and free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to 70-year plus people if voted back to power at the Centre. Addressing a poll rally at Jharkhand's Palamu earlier in the day, the PM asserted that his government's surgical and air strikes had shaken Pakistan, and the neighbouring country's leaders were now praying that the Congress “shehzada” becomes India's PM. Objecting to the language used by Modi, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi is actually “shahidzada (martyr's son)" and not “shehzada” (crown prince). While campaigning for the BJP candidate of Palamu, Modi said “earlier, Congress-led governments were helpless after any terror attack on the country”. “But this new India knows how to enter enemy territory and strike. Our strong nation wants a strong government and leader.” “There has been no blot of corruption on me in the past 25 years as chief minister and Prime Minister. I don't own a home or even a bicycle. but corrupt JMM and Congress leaders amassed huge wealth for their children,” he said. Hailing tribal icon Birsa Munda, Modi said it is his promise to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Munda as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh' and added that it was his fortune that he became the country's first PM to visit Munda's birth place Ulihatu. Later, addressing a rally at Jharkhand's Gumla, he said the NDA government has “unmasked” corrupt forces, and all those who indulged in corruption would face action under law in the next five years. Hitting out at jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren without taking his name, Modi said leaders of the Congress and the opposition INDIA bloc take out rallies in support of the corrupt. “In the next five years, all those who indulged in corruption will face legal action,” he said. With inputs from PTI
