Govt using Indian Mujahideen to stop me, says Modi

Alleging that CBI was being misused and terror outfit Indian Mujahideen given a "free hand" to settle political scores with him, Narendra Modi today said Congress was attacking him "from behind like a coward" after it could not defeat him in Gujarat.

"One by one, the way incidents are taking place, it appears that those who could not defeat Modi in Gujarat, who were beaten badly in three elections and lost face who feel BJP and Modi cannot be stopped through democratic means....

"They are now using other means- of sometimes putting CBI after them, and at other times giving a free hand to Indian Mujahideen," he said addressing a rally here.

Modi's reference to IM comes in the wake of the serial bomb blasts suspected to be carried out by the terror outfit during his Patna rally of October 27 which left seven persons dead and scores of others injured.

BJP has charged that the Centre has been lax in providing adequate security to Modi.
"Those doing politics with bombs, guns and pistols should listen with open ears. I am born of a different material. Neither have I bowed to terrorists, nor am I going to bend before them.

"We will defeat them and finish them from their roots.... The bullets of terrorists cannot stop the country from its onward journey," Modi said.

The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate alleged that his adversaries are attacking him "from behind like cowards" and challenged them to fight him democratically.

Attacking the SP government in Uttar Pradesh, he said it played votebank politics by putting two UP BJP MLAs in jail in the Muzaffarnagar riots cases to embarrass the party.

"The way statements are being made, I want to ask the rulers what was the reason that you put two of our MLAs in jail. When your charges could not stand scrutiny and the court released them, you put them in jail on other charges. But they were released again," he said.

Modi charged that due to votebank politics, government was not arresting the real culprits and was putting innocents in jail.

He alleged that Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party, BSP or Congress had the "same DNA" which made them work for their own "selfish" gains.

The competition between the SP and Mayawati's BSP is who indulges in "more corruption" and "who has more criminals in its midst", Modi said.

"I have seen that despite supporting the UPA government, SP and BSP have never asked anything for the state.... What they ask for is help in the CBI cases and how to get rid of the problems with the CBI," he said.

Congress and Samajawadi Party hit back by demanding a probe into the "huge expenditure" on his rallies and alleged that Modi was misleading the people of UP by telling false stories of development of a "small" state.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohd Azam Khan raked up Modi's puppy remark and said those who have such a mindset for Muslims and are trying to "convert whole of India into Gujarat" cannot rule the country or make it progress.

"Those who call one-fifth population as 'puppy' cannot run the country. The country would be run by those, who love all and whom all love," Khan said while addressing a gathering in Mailani town.

Stating that democracy was being "undermined" in the country, Modi alleged that an "advisory" was issued by the Centre to the TV media on why he was shown "at par" with the prime minister while he was addressing the nation from the Red Fort on August 15.

"The advisory was issued this week for what was shown on last August 15. The central government was not concerned about the honour of the prime minister but that on October 27 when Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi were addressing in Patna their 'shehzade' was giving a speech in Delhi," he said, in a reference to Rahul Gandhi's Delhi rally.

"Media's fault was that though they were showing the 'shahzade', Modi was also seen and heard and so Congress was feeling frustrated," he said.

But Union Minister Manish Tewari retorted by accusing Modi of curbing media freedom in Gujarat.

The Information and Broadcasting minister defended the advisory issued by his ministry, saying that it only meant advice and attacked Modi saying he only made speeches and never answered journalists' questions.

He added that Modi had walked out of an interview when "difficult questions" on Gujarat riots were asked.

"I think it'll be worthwhile for the pretender of the BJP to really introspect and ask himself as to what really is the condition of media freedom in Gujarat.