Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Credit: PTI Photo
Aurangabad/Sasaram: Hitting out at Telangana CM Revanth Reddy for his "Congress means Muslims" comment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday alleged the opposition party was trying to divide the country on the basis of religion.
Addressing back-to-back rallies in Bihar's Aurangabad and Sasaram on the last day of the campaign for the assembly elections, Singh claimed that the BJP-led NDA does not divide people on the basis of religion, caste or creed, as it believes in the "politics of humanity".
"Have you heard what the Telangana chief minister said? He said that 'Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress'. What is the meaning of this statement? This statement is aimed at dividing the country. Is this the kind of politics you stand for? This is Congress culture," he said.
Singh alleged that the Congress and RJD were trying to defame the NDA for "their politics of appeasement".
"The Congress and RJD are trying to divide the society based on caste, creed and religion. This election is a fight between good governance and 'jungle raj' (lawlessness). The same people who plunged Bihar into an era of caste conflict and massacres are now seeking votes. People must remain alert about such forces," he said.
While campaigning for the Jubilee Hills assembly bypoll in Hyderabad on Thursday, Reddy criticised Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy for opposing the recent induction of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin into his cabinet and said it is only the Congress that gives important posts to members of the minority communities.
"Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress," the CM had said.
Singh also took a dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad, claiming that these days 'samosas' do not require just 'aloo' (potatoes).
"The days are over when RJD workers used to say 'jab tak rahega samose mein aaloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu' (as long as there are potatoes in a samosa, there will be Lalu in Bihar). Now, samosas do not require just potatoes. Tasty samosas require cashew nuts and several other ingredients. Only NDA can provide tasty samosas," he quipped.
Singh alleged the INDIA bloc was lying about giving government jobs to one member of every family if it is voted to power in the state.
"Where will the money come from to pay their salaries? I don't know whether Tejashwi knows maths. These are simply lies," he claimed.
"Only the NDA can think of further developing Bihar. Vote for NDA, not for 'jungle raj'," he appealed to the people.
Singh said India will soon become the third-largest economy in the world, and the NDA government was working to make it the "richest country" by 2047.
"We don't make false, misleading and unrealistic promises. I am sure that people will vote for the NDA to make Bihar a developed state," he said.
"I want to tell the people of Bihar that instead of 'katta' (country-made guns), the state will produce missiles under the NDA rule," he added.
The former BJP president reiterated that if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thinks that votes are being stolen in Bihar, he should file a complaint with the Election Commission.
"He is not doing that, he is simply levelling baseless allegations against a constitutional body," he claimed.
"If Rahul Gandhi is really concerned about Dalits, tribals and minorities, he should have made someone who belonged to these communities the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. This exposed his hollow claims," he said.