Sonia Gandhi resorting to 'rabid communalism': Narendra Modi

GHAZIABAD: Narendra Modi today accused Sonia Gandhi of resorting to "rabid communalism" by appealing to Muslim leaders to ensure their votes are not split and sought Election Commission's action in this regard.

Against the backdrop of Gandhi's meeting with Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari where she had made the appeal, Modi said, "Congress is sensing defeat. So now, their slogan has shifted from secularism to rabid communalism.

"What she said yesterday... I appeal to the Election Commission... Asking for votes on the basis of communalism is against the rules of Election Commission as the polls have been announced," he said.

Modi was addressing a public meeting in support of BJP candidates from Indirapuram in UP's Ghaziabad district on the outskirts of the national capital.

"24 hours have passed and the news has already appeared in the media. Why is EC not taking suo motu action in this regard?" he asked.

From the same platform, he also sought votes for the candidate from neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar avoiding the jinxed town of Noida, where there is a popular belief that leaders who visit the town lose their positions.

Yesterday, Sonia rejected the BJP charge that she was playing politics of communalism saying they were not in the habit and game of polarising elections.

"Sonia has made the mistake of trying to mislead and divide the nation. People will never forgive this kind of politics. For Congress, secularism is religion first but for us it is India first," he said.

Modi said for his party, secularism is to unite and develop while the Congress tradition was to divide and rule.

"For Congress secularism is an election slogan. For us every community is ours. For Congress secularism is vote bank politics, for BJP, development is national agenda. For Congress, it is a political weapon, for us it an article of faith," he said.
Modi raked up the issue of government's alleged support for meat export and said he foresaw a "huge danger" for village economy as farmers were selling their cattle to meat exporters.

"We want green revolution and white revolution but the Congress is worried about 'pink revolution'... If there is no rain in a season, the village economy will be ruined in the absence of cattle. Non-vegetarians have to shell out more money due to the UPA's obsession with meat export," he said.

Accusing Congress of working to ensure that the BJP-led NDA does not reach the majority mark as its own "defeat" is certain, he said Uttar Pradesh will have a big say in the next government formation and urged people to see BJP gets a massive victory in the state.

"Congress does not want a government which could probe its black deeds. Don't you want a strong government which exposes all bad things they have done... You must give us 300 plus seats (in the Lok Sabha)," Modi said, evoking spontaneous response from the gathering.

India's neighbours, he said, have been trying to stare us down not because our military is weak, but because our government is "weak". "We will change that," he added.