Kalyan Singh slams Congress for questioning Narendra Modi's caste

LUCKNOW: BJP Vice-President Kalyan Singh today accused Congress of stooping to the level of questioning the caste of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, which he said the rival party was doing owing to its "frustration" over the impending results of the general elections.

"Frustrated over its clear debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress is now stooping to questioning the caste of Narendra Modi leaving aside all national issues," Kalyan claimed. The former UP chief minister clarified that Modi belongs to "moodh vanchi" caste, which was included in the OBC list in 1994 when the Congress-led government was in power in Gujarat.

"Not just Congress but SP and BSP too are now focusing on just two issues which are, how to check Modi and Muslim appeasement," Singh further claimed, adding that these parties were not speaking on inflation, development, unemployment and other problems faced by the people.

Alleging large scale booth capturing in Kannauj, Badaun and Farrukhbad constituencies in western UP, Singh alleged that despite repeated demands, Central Paramilitary Force (CPMF) were not deployed even at sensitive booths. Singh expressed apprehension of irregularities in Ghosi, Azamgarh, Lalganj, Ghazipur and Bhadohi in the last phase of polling on May 12 and demanded that CPMF be deployed there and the local police be kept away from polling centres. Singh claimed that BJP-led NDA would get more than 300 seats and would not require the support of any other party in forming the government.