BJP defends Modi on accusation of keeping mum on intolerance

Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly on the accusation of being silent on rising intolerance in the country, the BJP on Tuesday said the most powerful voice against bigotry and prejudice, and in support of harmony has been that of him.

"We have heard him stress this repeatedly, whether from the Red Fort when he spoke against casteism and communalism; or during his frequent public interventions, whether in 'Mann ki Baat', or from the electoral platform, or in interviews to media," BJP spokesperson M.J. Akbar said at a press conference here.

"His pain and anguish at certain tragedies has been not just apparently but publicly stressed. The essence of his message is best summed up in a powerful line: 'Hindus and Muslims can either fight each other or they can unite to conquer the common enemy, poverty'.

"The purpose and vision of the prime minister has been transparent -- Mission Prosperity, development for all and an end to the historic curse of poverty," he said.

On the Congress accusing Modi of keeping mum on rising intolerance, he said "a morally and politically bankrupt Congress leadership is playing with fire by stoking up sectarian passions for electoral gain through the projection of falsehoods".

"It is a desperate attempt by a fading dynasty to retain marginal relevance at a time when it is facing utter disaster in the Bihar elections.

"The empty spaces at Rahul Gandhi's meetings in Bihar provide a visual foretaste of the results to come. The dynasty is indulging in the politics of despair, having run out of ideas and lost all mooring to reality," the BJP leader said.