Narendra Modi showed how power can be turned into poison, says Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress retaliated strongly to BJP leader Naredra Modi's remark that the party practices "politics of division and spews poison", saying it was the Gujarat chief minister who had proved to us how power can become poison.

Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said,"Modi can say whatever he wants, but people know the truth. How he poisons the society. He wants to target the Gandhi family in every possible way.

"He (Modi) says anything. Everyone knows how he tries to poison the society... Why are people talking about it and why is this fact among the people. His explanations are not going to work."

Congress leader Rashid Alvi said, "Modi has done it and has proved to us how power can become poison. And that is why it has been said that seeds of poison are sown in Gujarat. What questions does he want answered? He said the production in Gujarat has increased, that sugar production has increased two-three fold.

"Has he said what was the production ten years ago? Did he say how much sugarcane a farmer produced in an acre earlier and how much he produces now under Modi's government?"

Today, addressing a rally in Meerut, Modi attacked Sonia Gandhi over her 'zeher ki kheti' barb saying it is the Congress which spews poison and reaps the harvest out of it with its divisive politics.

Modi's counter-attack came a day after Sonia Gandhi at a rally in Karnataka accused Modi and BJP of indulging in divisive politics by "sowing seeds of poison" (zeher ki kheti) and instigating violence in their "hunger" for power.