Modispeak: Politics of hate.

Modi using Pak bogey to polarise UP; calls Kanpur train tragedy ISI conspiracy

When scared, Modi tries to create tension between two religions: Rahul

Agency Report | Gonda/Bahraich/Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) | 24 February, 2017 | 11:30 PM

It’s an old trick the divine party, and in particular its Iron Man, has adopted every time to tip the electoral scales in its favour – the Pakistan bogey. As Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi repeatedly used the P, M and K words to polarise voters and now as Prime Minister once again he is resorting to the time-tested formula.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday termed November’s train accident in Kanpur a conspiracy hatched from across the border and urged people not to vote for those “who help conspirators”.

The Prime Minister, referring to the November 20 derailment of the Indore-Patna Express train near Kanpur which killed over a 100 passengers, said police investigations have found that it was a conspiracy, and that the conspirators were “on the other side of the border”.

He pointed out that Gonda shares its border with Nepal.

“Few days back, there was a train accident… some people were caught and the police found out that it was a conspiracy… the conspirators are on the other side of the border,” Modi said.

He, however, did not clarify if he was referring to the Nepal border or Pakistan border.

He said people should not vote for anyone who would “help conspirators from across the border”.

“If the enemies want to run their business from the other side of the border, people in Gonda need to be cautious. If people who help the conspirators are elected, will Gonda be safe? If Gonda is not safe, will the nation be safe?” Modi said.

“Gonda needs to elect only those who are full of patriotism; only then can we do anything good for Gonda. There should be no mistake in elections; whether it is the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party — none of them should win. Vote for the BJP and make it victorious,” he said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson C.P. Rai questioned the Prime Minister’s motive in raking up the issue.

“If indeed evidence has been found, is a (public) rally the right platform (to discuss it)? Has the Prime Minister or the External Affairs Ministry summoned the High Commissioner of Pakistan and put the evidence of their involvement before them?” he said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating the role of Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) in the Indore-Patna Express train accident. But even the NIA has not submitted any evidence to support it.

The conspiracy angle came out after Bihar Police arrested Moti Paswan, Umashankar Prasad and Mukesh Yadav for their alleged role in the derailment and claimed they had links with the ISI.

Paswan, according to police, had confessed that he was paid to plant explosives in the train and that the ISI had executed the derailment plan. He said the money he received came from ISI sympathiser Shamshul Huda based in Dubai.

Huda was arrested by Nepal Police who claim he has not confessed to his role in the Kanpur case.

The Uttar Pradesh police however maintain there was no sabotage in Kanpur as no craters, or explosives, were found on the track at the accident spot.

Speaking at the Gonda rally, Modi also accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led-SP government of protecting and patronising the “copying mafia” in the state which, he said, was harming the future of the youth.

The Prime Minister said the mafia was not only out to loot the poor but was also engaged in jeopardising the future of the youth.

Modi said: “When I was thinking about speaking on the issue, I must honestly admit I was slightly scared as this topic heard on television… could give ideas to anti- social elements in other parts of the country to replicate the SP modus operandi.”

Amid the applause from his audience, Modi said the “copying mafia” business has to end.

He also slammed law and order in Uttar Pradesh, saying: “No justice can be expected at police stations (in Uttar Pradesh) as they are helpless. They wait for nod from SP bosses.”

Urging the people to uproot the state government that he claimed was corrupt, Modi also warned them against the Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati.

Modi claimed the BJP had got huge public support in the first four phases of polling in Uttar Pradesh and said the writing on the wall was evident from downcast looks of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

“You have given a stable government at the Centre… and now you have to strengthen our hands further…,” he appealed to voters.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi slammed Modi, saying “when he gets sacred, he tries to create tension between two religions”.

“When Modi ji gets scared, then he tries to spread communalism and create tension among people belonging to two religions. He tries to spread poison in the society,” said Gandhi during a public rally in Bahraich.

His reference was to Modi’s speech on Sunday, where he said: “If you create kabristaan (graveyard) in a village, then a shamshaan (cremation ground) should also be created. If electricity is given uninterrupted in Ramzan, then it should be given in Diwali without a break. Bhedbhaav nahin hona chahiye (there should be no discrimination.”

Attacking the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi said: “He keeps lying. He promised to give Rs 15 lakh to every Indian, two crore jobs, loan waiver to the farmers.”

“Prime Minister Modi has been benevolent towards the rich and has waived their loans, but not the loans of farmers,” he added.

“We (Congress) waived off the loans of the farmers, gave them food security and MNREGA,” said Gandhi.

He also said the Modi government has not been able to send “a single person accused of keeping black money” to jail and that 94 per cent of black money is still stashed away in foreign countries.

At a public rally in Basti, he said: “Farmers came to us. We didn’t strike a deal with them. We will never tell them to vote for us first and then we’ll do their work.”
BJP national President Amit Shah targeted Rahul Gandhi after former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s remarks that he needed more time to “mature”, saying “immature Rahul should be kept at home” instead of being sent to Uttar Pradesh.

Dikshit, in an interview, said the Congress leader was immature and needed more time to season up.

Addressing an election rally here, Shah said, if such is the case then the Gandhi scion should be asked to sit at home and groomed there. “Sheila ji, unko ghar bithao, paripakva karo, yahan UP main kyun bhej diya” (Sheilaji keep him at home, groom him, why send him to UP),” he said as people cheered.

Slamming Rahul Gandhi for seeking the report card of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for two years of governance, the BJP chief retorted that Rahul Gandhi was better advised to take the report card of 60 years of his “great grandfather, grand mother, father and mother who ran the union government with Manmohan Singh”.

In a jibe, he said, “When these two princes – Akhilesh Yadav ad Rahul Gandhi, had nothing to show they joined hands. How can they do something good for UP when one’s mother is hassled by him and other’s father is fed up of his son,” the BJP president said.

He went on to attack Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and said he should hang his head in shame as his minister Gayatri Prajapati has been accused of so many crimes including gang rape.

“First a woman is gang-raped and when she goes to the police for filing of an FIR that is not done. Finally the Supreme Court had to intervene and order lodging of an FIR,” Shah said while pointing out how the Chief Minister had taken no action against the tainted minister but had instead gone to campaign for him in Amethi.

Rapping the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) for “destroying UP in the past 15 years”, Shah said that these two parties were engaged in casteist politics and had nothing to do with development.

He went on to urge the people of the state to vote for the BJP and ensure a majority government in Uttar Pradesh so that the state government and the union government work together to take the state to new heights of prosperity. (IANS)