Modi attacks Shinde over move to review terror cases, slams Gandhi family

Panaji/New Delhi: Accusing Congress of playing vote bank politics, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde over his proposal to state governments to review terror cases against members of the minority community.

"Just look at their brazenness, they are playing communal politics. The Home Minister has written a letter to state governments that if you arrest a law breaker, see that Muslims are not arrested. Why is it so? Does a law breaker have any religion," he said while addressing a rally here.

"Will religion decide the fate of a law breaker whether he should be arrested or released? There should be no discrimination on basis of religion. One should not be punished for belonging to a particular religion but this should be for all people. There should be no vote bank politics," Modi said.

He said when the Prime Minister is asked about such letters, "He expresses surprise over them and says he will look into the matter. This is how he reacts and responds."

The BJP has hit out at Shinde for the way he is taking up the issue of criminal law where only public prosecutor and judge can take a final call on withdrawing cases and said the Home Minister is 'ill-advised' on the matter as he has no right to withdraw such cases.

The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate made a veiled reference to the removal of Jayanti Natarjan from Environment Ministry, saying for the first time he had heard of 'Jayanti tax' apparently referring to swirling allegations during her tenure.

"There was a storm over the Environment Ministry and all files were blocked. No file was moving without money. We had heard ofincome, sales and excise taxes but for the first time, we heard about a Jayanti tax in Delhi without which nothing was moving."

"Till the time that was not paid, files could not be moved in the Environment Ministry. I have never experienced it myself as I never need it but we are shocked on this. What kind of systems have they developed," he said.

Natarajan denied allegations levelled against her by Modi, saying the BJP leader was trying to target her as she has been very vocal against him in the past and had blocked two of his projects.

"It is a targeted personal attack. I totally deny what he says. It is completely baseless. There are major green violations in Gujarat. He was destroying the environment. I was opposed to his destruction of environment," Natarajan told PTI.

On the issue of restrictions over mining due to environmental issues, Modi said his party would "protect environment and bring transparency in mining" to help economy, whose growth depends on infrastructure, raw material and human resources.

In his address, Modi attacked the Gandhi family including former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for 'wasting' the first 50 years after independence and 'weakening' the constitutional institutions and centralising the power in one centre which has no accountability.

Rajiv Gandhi about ushering in a new India in the 21st century but nothing has changed, he said. "People asked me how will you be different. I tell them we will do away with these ills. We believe in decentralisation and there will be accountability," Modi said.

The BJP leader said the Congress has become the symbol of a culture which includes "corruption, dynasty politics, patriarchy, communalism, vote bank politics" and the BJP was determined to rid the country of 'all these ills'. 

Earlier in the day, the Opposition party hit out at Shinde for the way he is taking up the issue of criminal law where only public prosecutor and judge can take a final call on withdrawing cases and said the Home Minister is ‘ill-advised’ on the matter as he has no right to withdraw such cases.

"The Home Minister has been ill-advised and BJP condemns his attempt to send such an advisory to state governments on setting up a review committee to withdraw cases against minorities," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She said the BJP has three basic objections to the Home Minister's proposal, that it goes against the Constitution, it goes against the criminal justice system and for playing politics on the issue.

"On the definition of minority, he is playing a political game. He is only politicking and we take a clear position and have objections to the Home Minister sending such an advisory to state governments," she said.

"The Constitution says one can have a uniform civil code but religious laws are different. It does not approve of the Home Minister's advice. His advice is not envisaged in criminal justice system. It is illegal for him to say this...He is wrong and is ill-advised," she said.

Making a jibe at Congress, Modi appealed to the people 'to vote for the country and not for the party'.

"Vote for India. Don't vote for any particular group or a party or any individual," he said.

"We (BJP) have only one religion and that is, India first. We have only one religious book and that is the Indian constitution. We only have one worship and that is worship of the nation," Modi said during his hour-long speech.

Held at Merces village near Panaji, the rally was also addressed by, among others, BJP President Rajnath Singh and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The rally kicked off BJP's campaigning for elections in the state which has two Lok Sabha seats.