New Delhi: Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks where he compared infant mortality rate in the poll-bound state of Kerala to Somalia, the BJP on Thursday said the PM had done so in the context of a particular tribe in a region of the state and blamed the Opposition for “distorting” his remarks.
However, the Congress which is currently leading the ruling alliance in the state, hit back, alleging that the PM is known to make “outrageous” and “blatantly false” statements.
As Mr Modi faced flak over his remarks, including on the social media, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said: “Modi said the child mortality rate in the tribe is very high. The situation is more dangerous than Somalia.”
He accused the Opposition parties of distorting Mr Modi’s comments for scoring political points.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “He (the PM) makes statements that are blatantly false, he lies with a straight face and he lies because it is in his nature, and comparing Kerala with Somalia is an insult not only to Kerala but also to all of India.” Mr Ramesh said everyone knows that Kerala is “Number 1” in the country when it comes to social development indicators.
