Modi: Congress cares for one family only, seek votes in names of Dada-Dadi, Nana-Nani

Bhopal: In a veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the two Congress leaders were still seeking votes in the names of their ‘Dada-Dadi, Nana-Nani’.

Accusing the Congress of caring for only one family (of Nehru-Gandhi), Mr Modi, while addressing an election meeting at Jagdamba City Ground in Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, said that “The Congress leaders (The Gandhi siblings) are still saying that our ‘Dada-Dadi’, ‘Nana-Nani’ had done such and such things. They are still seeking votes in the names of their ‘Dada-Dadi, Nana-Nani’”.

He said that the Congress had given credit to only one family for the freedom of the country and named various government programmes, roads, airports and other important institutions after the Nehru-Gandhi family members.

Mr Modi lashed out at Congress for accusing BJP of having no concern for the tribals, saying that it was the BJP government of Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Centre which first created a tribal ministry and earmarked a separate budget for the development of the tribals.

His statement comes a day after Mr Gandhi accused BJP of disrespecting tribals by calling them ‘vanvasi’, instead of ‘adivasi’.

Mr Modi said that, “Some Congress leaders who even do not know where the tribes reside have started misguiding the tribals while visiting their areas”.

Mr Gandhi while addressing a public meeting at Jagdalpur in Bastar in Chhattisgarh on Saturday made the statement while declaring that the Congress, if formed government at the Centre, would eliminate the term ‘adivasi’.

“The Congress is creating confusion among the tribals. The word tribal does not sound good coming from them. These tribals have taken care of Lord Ram and made Lord Ram, Purushottam Ram. We are the disciples and worshippers of tribals who made Lord Ram, Purushottam Ram”, he said.

Mr Modi said that the BJP only cared for the tribals and ensured that they got recognition at the national level for their contribution to the freedom movement of India and Indian culture.

He cited the Centre’s decision to observe November five, birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, as ‘Jan Jatiya Gaurav Divas’ in the country.

The Congress did nothing for the tribals and kept them in the dark, he said.

Mr Modi attacked Congress saying that two veteran leaders of the party in Madhya Pradesh were fighting with each other to establish their sons and make them capture the party organisation in the state.

“The Congress is not fighting in the ensuing assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Two big leaders of the party are fighting with each other”, he said.

He was referring to the reported tussle between two Congress veterans Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh over distribution of party tickets in the November 17 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

A video has surfaced in which Mr Nath was heard asking some Congress activists to tear clothes of Mr Singh and the latter’s son for denying ticket to a local Congress leader.

Later, addressing a public meeting at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Modi said that he understood the pain of the poor since he hailed from a poor family and hence, decided to extend the free ration scheme, the term of which was scheduled to expire in December, for another five years.