PM Narendra Modi alleges that Congress 'celebrated' Hafiz Saeed's release

BHUJ: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his election campaign in Gujarat on Monday by alleging the Congress ‘celebrated’ the release of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan. He also asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi why he had ‘hugged’ the Chinese ambassador during the Dokalam standoff earlier this year.

“When our soldiers were steadfastly guarding the Indian border, you are happy to hug Chinese ambassador, you were clapping on the release of Hafiz Saeed. You cannot respect Indian Army’s surgical strike. But why did you speak up about it? You could have just remained silent,” Modi said. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted, soon after Saeed was released on the orders of a Pakistan court, “Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani. Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Huglomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed.”

Saeed, who heads the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, was released on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the Mumbai attacks. Modi compared the previous Congress government’s response to the 26/11 attack to his own government’s response to the attack by Pakistani terrorists on a military base in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri last year, which led to surgical strikes. “We know how India responded in the wake of both attacks. This explains the difference between their government and ours,” he said.


The prime minister started his speech in Kutchi much to the delight of the crowd. Calling himself “Gujarat no Dikro” the son of Gujarat he said BJP will win over 150 seats in the upcoming election. “Experts say BJP will get 140 seats but people of the state will prove them wrong,” he said. He also reminded people of Ibla Seth, a smuggler of Kutch recalling efforts done by his government to make the state safe.