PM Modi In Bihar Recalls Godhra Train Arson, Claims 'Lalu Prasad Tried To Save Guilty Of Horrendous Crime'

PM Modi In Bihar: At an election rally in Bihar, PM Modi recalled the 2002 Godhra train arson to step up the attack on the opposition.

PM Modi In Bihar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday recalled the 2002 Godhra train arson to step up the attack on the opposition at an election rally in Bihar amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Raking up the 2002 arson, PM Modi launched a scathing attack on RJD president Lalu Prasad and charged him with having tried to “save” those responsible for burning alive more than 60 kar sevaks “during the rule of Sonia Madam,"  referring to the UPA chairperson who was also the president of the ruling Congress.

While speaking during the election rally at Darbhanga in north Bihar, PM Modi recalled the incident that took place while he was the chief minister of Gujarat. He alleged that the opposition parties always practice politics of "appeasement". “It is because of this appeasement politics that the father of Bihar's 'shehzada' (allusion to Tejashwi Yadav) had tried to save those who were responsible for the Godhra train burning incident”, said Modi, adding “after all, it was the rule of Sonia madam,” PM Modi said, as quoted by PTI.

“He (Lalu Prasad), who has himself been convicted (in fodder scam cases), was then the railway minister. He set up an inquiry committee and got a report made which exonerated those guilty of the horrendous crime. But the court threw the report away”, the PM said.

The Prime Minister also accused the opposition parties of “trying to rob” SCs, STs and tribals of reservations because of the “disillusionment” these deprived sections felt towards the I.N.D.I.A bloc. “The I.N.D.I.A bloc is trying to divert reservations to Muslims. They are going against the views of Babasaheb Ambedkar and first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, neither of whom was in favour of reservations on religious lines”, PM Modi claimed, as quoted by PTI.

Lashing out at Tejashwi Yadav for bringing up the "Hindu Muslim narrative" at rallies while talking about Agnipath scheme”, PM Modi said, “when we talk about the martyrdom of Captain Hameed, do we think of him as a Muslim?”

Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav by name, he said, "There is a shehzada in Delhi and one in Patna, both of whom think of the country as their fiefdom (jaagir)," as quoted by PTI. “Their mindset was exposed when they raised questions about the surgical strikes and spoke ill of the armed forces”, said Modi.