Congress hiding in 'burqa' of secularism: Narendra Modi

PUNE: Launching a scathing attack on the UPA government over the downturn in economy, falling rupee and corruption , Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of hiding behind a ‘burqa of secularism’ to cover its failures.

Addressing a public rally here on Sunday evening, Modi said: “The moment there is a crisis, they (Congress) wear the burqa (veil) of secularism and hide in a bunker.” He said.

Congress followed this act by insisting that one should not talk about poverty, or corruption, or price rise at this juncture as “secularism is in danger” . He charged that Congress had done this for decades.

Modi also questioned Congress’ motives for promulgation of the food security ordinance. The government chose not to allow a debate in Parliament on the food security bill due to political considerations, said Modi, BJP’s presumptive prime ministerial candidate. “Congress does not trust the opposition as well as its own allies in UPA. Congress wants to take all the credit for this bill only for itself, so an ordinance has been passed in a hurry,” said Modi, whose comments on the 2002 riots under his watch in Gujarat and claim to being a Hindu nationalist in an interview with a foreign news agency had provoked much outrage on Friday.

“They have brought before the nation a food security bill and are claiming as if a meal has already come on the plates,” Modi said at the rally, where he also hit out at the Congress for the Commonwealth Games scam from the home turf of Suresh Kalmadi, the party’s Lok Sabha member and disgraced former chairman of the organising committee for the games.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the Congress wanted to perpetuate poverty, apparently referring to the Nehru-Gandhi scion’s much-publicised visits to the homes of Dalits in UP ahead of the 2009 polls. “Congress wants to perpetuate poverty. They want to keep people poor. Then the party’s leader can visit a poor man’s house and call the media to show off his greatness and thereby establish that his family and party worry about the poor. Congress’ dynastic politics has ruined the country,” he said.

Modi also accused UPA of mismanaging the economy. “The PM is an economist but why is he not able to control the falling rupee and the inflation . The poor are not able to cope up with rising prices of food.”