PM Narendra Modi shares laundry list of abuse by Congress

TIL Desk/National/Ahmedabad/ Continuing his attack on the Congress over Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “neech” remark against him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually read out a laundry list of abuses poured on him by other Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and “her family members”.

At a campaign rally at Bhabhar town earlier in the day, he also accused Mr Aiyar of giving “supari” (contract) while on a visit to Pakistan to get him “removed” from the way to improve bilateral ties.

“One after another, I was given unimaginable titles by Congress leaders. They called me snake, scorpion, chaiwala, neech, gutter worm, mad dog, impotent, Bhasmasur, monkey, Aurangzeb, mentally retarded, illiterate, Ravan, Yamraj and what not. Is this how you respect the democracy and elected CM or PM?” he said at another rally in Nikol area of Ahmedabad later.

He had to list these things as “some Congressmen are trying to show themselves clean by suspending Aiyar”, PM Modi said, a day before parts of Gujarat go to the polls on Saturday.He was mentioning only “10 per cent of the abuses hurled at me”, PM Modi said.

“The Congress’s work culture was ‘atkana’ (stalling), ‘latkana’ (to keep issues pending) and ‘bhatkana’ (diverting issues),” PM Modi said. Mr Aiyar set off a huge controversy on Thursday when he called PM Modi a “neech kism ka aadmi”. The Congress suspended him from primary membership and issued a show-cause notice. PM Modi sought to connect Mr Aiyar’s remarks with a bias against the poor, backward communities as well as Gujarat. “You tell me, why I am ‘neech’? Because I am born into a poor family? Or because I am born in a backward community? Or because of being a Gujarati?” the prime minister said.