Unable to digest his popularity, Cong conspiring against NaMo, retorts BJP
The Congress on Sunday fielded its women leaders in Delhi to launch an attack on Narendra Modi on the issue of alleged spying of a woman architect in Gujarat. Accusing Modi of misusing official machinery, they demanded an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the matter. Within hours, in Bangalore, the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate charged the Congress with hatching conspiracies against him unable to digest his popularity and counter-attacked it for misusing the CBI to continue in power despite not enjoying a majority.
While BJP chief Rajnath Singh reiterated that there was no question of a rethink on Modi as the party’s PM candidate, the principal Opposition party said it was the Congress and its “surrogates”, which had committed a crime by bringing a private affair into the public domain for political gains. The BJP also asserted the Congress had no locus standi to demand a probe since neither the woman at the centre of the controversy nor her family members said anything to this effect.
Union Ministers Girija Vyas and Jayanthi Natarajan, former UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Mahila Congress chief Shobha Oza said the honour and dignity of every woman in India was at stake in the backdrop of “serious issue in which a young woman was stalked, followed, spied upon on during her every waking act by no less than an entire anti-terror squad of Gujarat Police”.
“If Government machinery is misused, then obviously, Modi has no moral and political right to govern Gujarat. He does not deserve to be the PM candidate of BJP,” they said addressing a joint Press conference at the AICC headquarters here.
They recalled that leakage of call details of leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had led to vociferous protests by BJP and stalling of Parliament for three days.
It also led to registration of criminal cases and arrest of those found prima facie guilty. “Should similar action be not initiated against Modi, Amit Shah and others involved in this illegal snooping racket,” they asked.
Addressing a maha rally at the sprawling Palace Grounds in the Silicon City, Modi accused Congress of muzzling free expression and targeting anyone who has spoken in his favour, including iconic singer lata Mangeshkar and leading global investment banking firm Goldman Sachs.
“These days, attacks on BJP have increased a bit. Attacks on Narendra Modi have also increased. Attacks have increased because of this scene (a reference to the turnout). They are unable to bear or digest this. Don’t know what kind of language is being used and the kind the conspiracies being hatched. They are trying various ways and means to rattle the BJP,” Modi said, adding “The Congress is sitting in an ivory tower. They (the Congress) play indoor sport. We (BJP) play outdoor sport.”
Modi’s remarks come amid allegations that his trusted aide Amit Shah as Home Minister had misused powers and police machinery for illegal surveillance of a young woman in 2009.
“The UPA is in power not because it enjoys majority but because of CBI,” he charged. Seeking to connect with the techies, he credited the NDA regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee for ushering progress in the IT sector.
BJP spokesperson Meenakshi lekhi asserted that the surveillance of the woman was legal and done at the behest of Shah. “We cannot disclose the nature of the case for obvious reasons. There was nothing illegal about it,” she said, adding it is nothing but an attempt in character assassination. “If anybody has violated her right to privacy and laws of the land, it is the Congress party and its surrogates,” she said, alleging that websites which released the tapes were acting at the party’s behest.