Congress killed Telugu spirit while forming Telangana, says Narendra Modi
Nizamabad: Seeking to strike an emotional chord with the people of Telangana, Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for "killing Telugu spirit" in the process of carving out a separate state.
BJP's Prime Ministerial nominee also sharply criticised the ruling party for "erasing" the legacy of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.
Addressing a public meeting on Tuesday, Modi said, "Congress went about the way of creating Telangana state like a doctor who facilitated birth of a child, but killing its mother," by which he said he meant Telugu spirit, language, culture and tradition.
"Giving birth to a child is a matter of joy, but the child can't be raised by killing the mother," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.
Attacking the Congress and TRS for taking credit for the formation of the state, without naming them, he said they are telling lies. "It was BJP's decision to create Telangana.
We have never made it a secret."
"Telangana statehood demand was conceded following the sacrifice of the people," Modi said adding a wrong vote in the coming elections amounts to discarding the sacrifice of 1,100 people who killed themselves for the cause of the state, and rubbing salt into the wounds of their mothers.
"I have come here to take responsibility for the future of Telangana," he said, appealing to the people to support the BJP.
He said the new state needs special care and nursing. Modi said more than three lakh people from Telangana are staying in Surat in Gujarat, his home State.
"I have the experience of taking care of Telangana people. Vote for BJP both at the Centre and state and you can have 'laddus' in both your hands," he said.
Modi alleged that the Congress has "animosity" towards Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and recalled how the then Congress General Secretary Rajiv Gandhi had allegedly insulted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister T Anjaiah at Hyderabad airport.
Praising Narasimha Rao, he said the country believes his tenure as Prime Minister was a good one. "But the Gandhi family erased his legacy as it has great animosity towards Andhra Pradesh. Even today, all these years after his death, they don't even offer floral tributes to him on birth and death anniversaries."
The Congress was in power for ten years now and there have been hundreds of projects and there's no mention of Rao's legacy, Modi said.
Telugu cinema's superstar Pawan Kalyan, who recently declared his support to Modi, shared the dais with him. Modi said, "If the country has youth like him (Kalyan), Telugu spirit will never die."
He said development should take place in both Telangana and Seemandhra and Telugu spirit should be protected.
Dubbing the UPA regime as 'mother-son'-led government, he said more number of farmers in the country committed suicide than the security personnel killed by terrorists.
"Pakistan comes and slits the throat of our soldiers. Delhi government sits tight. Maoists kill our security forces with bombs and pistols. But the government will not do anything except issuing mere statements."
There is more security personnel killed in the hands of terrorists than soldiers killed in wars since Independence. More number of farmers committed suicide than the number of security personnel killed by terrorists, Modi said.
"So this is not 'Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan' for this mother-and-son-led government; it's 'Mar-Jawan and Mar-Kisan' (kill soldiers and farmers), he said.
