Cong hiding behind 'burqa' of secularism: Modi

Amid uproar over his remarks on 2002 riots, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today charged Congress with wearing the "burqa (veil) of secularism" and "hiding in a bunker" each time it is confronted with a crisis.

Addressing a public meeting here, Modi also attacked Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on the issue of his party's "failure" to eradicate poverty and alleged that it was raising the bogey of "threat to secularism"  to throttle people's aspirations.

"Look minutely, whenever Congress is faced with a challenge- whether is corruption, price rise, directives from the Supreme Court, or a minister being jailed, or the rape of girls or an atmosphere of insecurity- they do not answer the people. The moment there is a crisis, they wear the 'burqa' (veil) of secularism and hide in a bunker," Modi said.

BJP has often charged the Congress with engaging in minority appeasement for votebank politics.

Modi said Congress follows this act by insisting that one should not talk about poverty or corruption or price rise at this juncture as "secularism is in danger". He charged that Congress has done this for decades.

The BJP leader said Congress will not be able to throttle the aspirations and hopes of the people in the name of secularism any longer.

"Congress will no longer be able to keep the poor hungry, or the young unemployed or distance itself when a girl is raped. Now this medicine will not work," Modi said.
Though Modi attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to check the fall of the rupee despite being an expert on economics, he was more scathing on Rahul Gandhi.

Without naming Gandhi, Modi said the "heir" spends nights in the homes of the poor and shows this to the media and foreigners as "remnants of the past" when 35 years back Congress had given the slogan of removing poverty.

Modi said there is no limit to the corruption in the UPA government. "They have not left anything- air (spectrum), land, water," he said.

He charged that the Congress has made it impossible for the poor to have two meals a day but feels "serving a legal paper"- alluding to the Food Security Ordinance- will fill their stomachs.

The BJP leader criticised the government for taking the Ordinance route on this issue.

"The Parliament session is due in a few days. Government should have taken Parliament into confidence, have a healthy debate, remove its shortcomings and then passed a good Food Security Act. Why bring an Ordinance? Because they (Congress) have no trust in their UPA allies," Modi said.

He maintained that Congress did not wish to take the support of its allies on the Food Bill as they would also get credit for it.

"This is an insult of Parliament, of UPA allies and of the whole democratic process," he alleged.

Alleging that the Congress-led "government in Delhi" has "taken for granted" the people of this country, Modi said the root cause of problems being faced by the people is the dynastic politics of the ruling party in the last 60 years.

"Congress party feels that doing anything to win polls- be it appeasing this group or the other by giving them doles and doing votebank politics- is enough then they live a life of luxury for the next five years," he said.

Attacking the Congress-led government on the state of the economy and the devaluation of the Rupee, Modi said at the time of independence both the Rupee and the dollar had the same value.

He wondered why the Rupee is getting devalued when the currency of countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives has not fallen.

The Rupee is losing its power as the people in Delhi are busy in making and looting money that they are not concerned," Modi said.