"This is an insult to those who lost their lives in the Mumbai terror attacks," PM Modi said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Monday that the Congress party has given a clean chit to Pakistan for orchestrating the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and has even supported Ajmal Kasab, a terrorist convicted and later sentenced to death, for his role in the attacks.
"The statement of a Maharashtra Congress leader about the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is very dangerous. These Congress leaders are now taking the side of the terrorist, Kasab. During the Congress rule, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and those close to the Congress family have called Kasab innocent," PM Modi said while campaigning at Maharashtra's Ahmednagar on Tuesday.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly stoked controversy over his statement on the 26/11 attack.
He claimed that former ATS chief Hemant Karkare was "not killed by terrorists during the 26/11 attack but by a police official close to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh."
PM Modi said that even though it is an established fact that those involved in the Mumbai terror attacks were sponsored by Pakistan, the Congress is claiming them to be innocent.
"Wasn't the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks sponsored by Pakistan? Who killed our soldiers, our innocent people? You (the public) and the world know the truth, our court has also given the decision, and even Pakistan has admitted it. There are phone records of the terrorists as well. But the Congress party is issuing a certificate of innocence to terrorists," he said.
The Prime Minister said that by giving such statements the Congress is insulting those who died in the Mumbai terror attacks.
"This is an insult to those who lost their lives in the Mumbai terror attacks. This is an insult to all the security forces who took on these terrorists. This is an insult to all those who died for the country like Tukaram Amle...The Congress is going downwards every day following its politics of appeasement," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that while the Congress is not being accepted by the people of the country, its overseas team has become active recently.
"The INDI alliance is not being accepted by the poeple. This disappointment among the alliance is visible even beyond borders. While the A-team of this coalition is losing, the B-team of the Congress that is outside the border has become active. They are tweeting to give boost to the confidence of Congress. In return, the Congress is giving a clean cheat to Pakistan for carrying out acts of terrorism," PM Modi said.
Hitting out at the opposition INDIA bloc, PM Modi said that the poorly stitched alliance will be decimated when the results for the Lok Sabha polls are announced.
"The third phase of the elections has made it clear that the expiry date of the INDI alliance has been finalised on June 4. After June 4, no one will be available to lift INDI flag. This 'Bhanumati ka kunba', that they have stitched will come down like a sand fortress on June 4," the Prime Minister said.
Stating that the Lok Sabha elections is being fought between the ideas of 'satisfaction' and 'appeasement', PM Modi said, "The elections this time is held between 'Santushti-Karan' (satisfaction) and 'Tushti-karan' (appeasement). The BJP-NDA is working hard to satisfy all countrymen. But on the other hand the INDI alliance is conspiring and using its votebank for appeasement. The Congress has turned its entire manifesto into Muslim League."
Slamming the Congress for its allegedly poor track record of poverty reduction in the country, PM Modi said, "The NDA wants development, welfare for the poor, national security, national respect. Is the Congress in any position to talk about any of these? If it comes to welfare for poor, the Congress will hide its face in the sand like an ostrich. It does not have anything to say. The Congress has given false promises to remove poverty for 50 years. They have betrayed the poor..."
Maharashtra, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the Lower House of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. Elections to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra is being held in five phases. The counting will be held on June 4.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)