Nehru wore a rose but wasn''t aware about farmer''s woes: PM Modi

Jodhpur, December 3

Launching a stinging attack against the Congress for questioning his knowledge on Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday used the dynast-worker analogy to ask the opposition party where it got its expertise on the religion.

He also brought up India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and first President Rajendra Prasad.

Nehru objected to Prasad’s visit for the consecration of Somnath temple, which was destroyed by foreign invaders and renovated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the prime minister told the gathering ahead of elections in the state on December 7.

The country, he said, was celebrating Prasad’s birth anniversary.

In an indirect but obvious reference to Nehru, Modi said the leader who wore a rose knew about gardens but not farmers or farming.

“He (Nehru) used to wear rose and had the knowledge of gardens but did not know about farmers or farming, due to which the community faced hardship,” Modi said without naming the first prime minister.

Addressing an election rally in this Rajasthan town, the prime minister said in a sarcastic jibe that he was a small “kaamdar” (worker) who never claimed to have full knowledge of Hinduism but the “naamdar” (dynast) has the right to speak.

Modi has often referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “naamdar”.

The Congress, Modi alleged, has become a university for spreading lies. People who lie more get new posts in the party, he said.

Rahul Gandhi, he asserted, has great capacity for speaking lies.

“The Congress’ dreams have been crushed in all states. This will happen in Rajasthan also,” he said.

The opposition party thinks it can come to power because of the trend in Rajasthan of alternate parties forming government but this will be proved wrong in the upcoming state elections, Modi declared. — PTI