In the backdrop of the exodus of Hindi-speaking migrants from Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of dividing society for the benefit of one family and averred that the BJP believed in spreading happiness and uniting people.
The workforce from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has been returning home following sporadic attacks against them in parts of Gujarat after an alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28 and the arrest of a labourer hailing from Bihar. Six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed violence.
BJP and the Congress have been trading charges on the issue with the former claiming that Congress leaders were behind fomenting trouble in Gujarat. The incidents of violence and exodus of migrants have erupted as four State Assemblies of — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram — are to go to polls before the year-end.
Modi claimed that it was not a matter of ego for his party to defeat others but an opportunity to serve people.
"When you try and connect everything to elections, like unveiling the statue of Sir Chhotu Ram or Swachchh Bharat Mission, it reduces the importance of the event," he said, adding that the BJP is doing social service and will continue doing it.
The BJP on Tuesday blamed Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Congress MLA from Gujarat Alpesh Thakor for violence against Hindi-speaking people in the State.
An estimated 50,000 Hindi-speaking migrants from UP and Bihar have fled Gujarat.
BJP spokesman Sambit Patra claimed that Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor was fomenting attacks on migrants and sought his dismissal from the party. Patra said over a period Rahul was creating confusion in the country to promote himself.