Cong rewarded 1984 riot accused with CM’s post: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lashed out at the Congress, terming the latter as a party with a history of killing Sikhs.

He said that the party has now rewarded an ‘accused’ of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with the coveted post of a chief minister.

Modi was referring to the coronation of Kamal Nath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing a public gathering in the Congress ruled Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Modi said that the Congress farm loan waiver announcements were a fraud on farmers.

Citing media reports to highlight the state of affairs on farm loan waiver in Karnataka, Modi said that only select farmers benefited from the farm loan waiver.

Rest had fled houses facing police warrants for not repaying farm loans, he said.

Modi said that the Congress was a party out to weaken the Army and its soldiers by spreading canards and lies.

“The people of Punjab and the country need to be cautious to their designs”, he said.

He accused the Congress of playing with the national security.

“The Congress has a history of singing paeans of only one family”, Modi said, adding that the party even opposes the singing of "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai."

The prime minister said that at the instance of one family, the files of the anti-Sikh riots were buried.

“We set up a SIT and the result is in front of all,” Modi said in reference to the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar.

Modi credited the NDA government for the historical decision on the Kartarpur Sahib corridor linking India and Pakistan.

He, however, said that the nation was testimony as to how the Congress gave an opportunity to Pakistan on the issue to meet its own political ends.

The prime minister lambasted the Congress for depriving worshipers for seven decades to visit the Kartarpur Sikh shrine in Pakistan where Guru Nanak Dev spent several years of his life.

“We were deprived of this place of worship on which we had our right. It was just about 3-4 km away. But the government of the day during partition could not get this place on our side,” he rued.

He said that people of Punjab and J&K were deprived of the waters of Ravi river going to Pakistan, but with the Shahpur Kandi project approved, people will reap its benefits.

Narendra Modi said that his government has urged the GST council to increase the exemption limit of filing GST return from the existing Rs 20 lakh annually to Rs 75 lakh.

This, Modi said, will be a great relief to the small traders, as those with income of less than Rs 75 lakh will not be bothered by the GST.