MODI DREDGES UP GODHRA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday alleged that RJD chief Lalu Prasad tried to save those who were responsible for burning more than 60 Kar Sevaks by constituting the Banerjee committee to probe the 2002 Godhra train arson. This is probably the first time Modi has brought up this subject in these elections.

Modi said at a rally in Darbhanga, that the opposition always pursued ‘appeasement’ politics and it was the reason the father of Bihar`s Shehzada" (allusion to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav) had tried to save those who were responsible for burning the Godhra train. “After all, it was the rule of Sonia madam," he remarked.

He recalled that Lalu, who was the Railway Minister at that time had constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the 2002 Godhra train arson and the committee, under his influence, gave a report that exonerated those guilty of the arson.

Prime Minister says Lalu Prasad tried to save those who were responsible for burning more than 60 kar sevaks in the 2002 Godhra train burning by constituting the Banerjee committee

He said that the court, however, dumped the report.

Modi said the Banerjee Commission, headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, was often called "ben raazi (the sister is willing)", and "under pressure" from Prasad it submitted a "bogus" report that "tried to exonerate those who were guilty and put the blame on kar sevaks themselves But the court consigned the report to the dustbin. Those who were guilty got punished, some of them even getting death sentences."

The PM alleged that Congress was trying to give reservation to Muslims by cutting into reservation quotas of SCs, STs and OBCs, even by going against the “sentiments of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and backstabbing B R Ambedkar." Not only Ambedkar but Pandit Nehru were also opposed to religionbased reservation, he added.

“Since these deprived sections are disillusioned with INDIA bloc, the alliance is now trying to give reservation to Muslims by cutting into their reservations quotas”, Modi said. Targeting Tejashwi for his comment on ‘X’ in which he pointed out all three service chiefs of the armed forces are Hindus, PM said that now even the religion of service chiefs was counted and asked whether anybody while remembering the martyrdom of Captain Abdul Hamid thought of his religion.

Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi, PM said, “There is a shehzada in Delhi and one in Patna, both of whom think of the country as their fiefdom (jaagir).” He contended that both had the same reports cards of scams, lawlessness.

Their mindset was revealed when they even questioned the surgical strikes and spoke ill of the armed forces, he added.