Prince insulting rajas, silent on nawabs: PM

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, April 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday intensified his attack on the Congress questioning former party president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that the reign of Indian kings was marked by mass suppression as royals would, at whim, snatch away from people whatever they fancied.

Speaking in Katnataka’s Belagavi and Uttara Kannada ahead of the third phase polling on May 7, the PM, without naming Rahul, recalled the charitable acts of erstwhile royals, including Baroda’s Gaikwad royalty that spotted and supported BR Ambedkar’s talent by financing his education abroad.

Cites erstwhile royals’ charitable acts

• PM Modi recalled charitable acts of erstwhile royals, including Baroda’s Gaikwad royalty that financed BR Ambedkar’s education abroad
• “The prince has insulted legendary royals like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Kittur Maharani Chinnamma whose patriotism still inspires our nation,” he said
• He asked if the Congress leader knew anything about the contributions of Mysore royalty or the fact that Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of the Malwa royalty restored several places of worship

‘Many people don’t like strong India’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, “There are many people who don’t like a strong India. They want the country and its government to be weak, so that they can make profits easily.”
• “The Congress too was a clear beneficiary of this corruption. This was the game going on, but the BJP has become a challenge for them,” the PM said while addressing a meeting in Karnataka

The PM alleged the Congress scion, to advance his vote bank politics, was heaping insults on Indian royals, while sealing his lips on the atrocities perpetrated by the “nawabs, nizams and sultans”. “Due to the Congress policy of appeasement even our Independence movement was recorded from the prism of vote bank politics. The Congress shehzada now says that Indian kings used to snatch away land from the poor at will. The prince has insulted legendary royals like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Kittur Maharani Chinnamma whose patriotism still inspires our nation... Shehzada’s latest remarks are meant to pander to vote banks. He has criticised our kings, but when it comes to brutalities by nawabs, nizams and sultans, his lips are sealed,” the PM said.

Modi asked if the Congress leader knew anything about the contributions of the Mysore royalty or the fact that Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of the Malwa royalty restored several temples and places of worship or that the Banaras Hindu University would not have been possible, but for the patronage of the king of Benaras.

“The Congress does not remember the atrocities of Aurangzeb who destroyed countless Hindu temples. The Congress has gone and allied with parties that sing paeans to Aurangzeb. But it has nothing to say about those who destroyed our pilgrimage sites, slaughtered cows. It does not remember those nawabs who played a huge role in the Partition of India,” said the PM. He earlier said that those who rejected the invitation to attend the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22 would be rejected by the masses on the hustings.

Modi said the Congress’ appeasement politics was reflected in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto and that the party was “planning to conduct an ‘X-ray’ of the people’s properties, possessions, gold, ‘Stree Dhan’, mangalsutras and what not.”

“The Congress is so engrossed in the welfare of its first family that it has completely distanced from national interest.... Many people, many organisations do not want India’s progress,” Modi said.

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#Congress #Narendra Modi #Rahul Gandhi