Lalu Yadav Tried To Shield Godhra Train Burning Accused: PM In Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday charged RJD president Lalu Yadav, the BJP's principal opponent in Bihar, with having tried to "shield" those guilty in the two-decade-old Godhra train burning incident and "put blame on kar sevaks".

Addressing an election rally in Darbhanga, PM Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat when riots had erupted after the incident, also alleged that the RJD supremo had acted in connivance with the Congress, which headed the UPA and was in power at the Centre.

This is probably the first time PM Modi raised the Godhra issue during the ongoing elections. Without mentioning Mr Yadav by name, PM Modi described the RJD supremo, who was the Railway minister in the first UPA government, as one "serving sentences, out on bail (in fodder scam cases)".

"He had tried to shield those who were responsible for the Godhra train burning incident in which more than 60 kar sevaks were burnt alive. Was it not the reign of Sonia (Gandhi) madam", remarked the PM, referring to the former Congress president and UPA chairperson.

PM Modi recalled that the Banerjee Commission, although headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, was often called "ben raazi (the sister is willing)", and claimed that "under pressure" from Mr Yadav it submitted a "bogus" report that "tried to exonerate those who were guilty and put the blame on kar sevaks themselves".

"But the court consigned the report to the dustbin. Those who were guilty got punished, some of them even getting death sentences," said the Prime Minister.

PM Modi alleged that all constituents of the opposition bloc INDIA had a propensity towards "appeasement" and lambasted the RJD for "counting Muslims among armed forces".

The remark seemed an oblique reference to Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD president's son and heir apparent who has spoken of "all the three armed forces being headed by Hindus" while slamming the ruling BJP at the Centre for repeatedly claiming that the faith of the majority community was "in danger".

In his speech which lasted for more than 30 minutes, PM Modi also took potshots at Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mentioning neither by name but observing "there is a 'shehzada' (crown prince) in Delhi. Likewise there is a 'shehzada' in Patna. Both have had a dismal track record".

"Their tendency for appeasement makes them behave in this fashion. Earlier, they had insulted the armed forces by raising questions on surgical strikes. We never think in terms of Hindus and Muslims while talking about our armed forces and our martyrs," the prime minister said.

PM Modi also alleged that in 2007, when Lalu Yadav was the railway minister, "he had advocated reservations for Muslims" and that the RJD supremo and Congress "want to divert quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs, who feel disillusionment towards them".

"These parties are going against Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and even Jawaharlal Nehru, both of whom were opposed to reservations along religious lines...... but let me assure you, as long as Modi is alive, nobody can snatch away reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs," said the PM at the rally here.

Slamming the INDIA bloc for "spreading lies that I want to change the Constitution, which I worship", PM Modi said, "I have been challenging them for 12 days to give in writing that they will not snatch away quotas meant for deprived people and provide these along religious lines. They are yet to do so".

The Prime Minister also noted that the Mithila region, named after an ancient kingdom of which Darbhanga was the capital, was the land of Goddess Sita, and therefore, had special sentiments for Ram temple at Ayodhya.

"India was first attacked on its western boundary about 1,000 years ago. It led to a millennium of enslavement. When we freed Ayodhya after a nearly-500-year-long fight, I had said that for the next 1,000 years, India will script a new history," said PM Modi, who also asserted that the country had begun to get its rightful place in the comity of nations.

"When bad days fell on the nation, Bihar was among the worst sufferers. We must not allow the state to return to the era of the lantern", said the PM, referring to the RJD's poll symbol.

He also made an indirect reference to the land-for-jobs scam under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in which Lalu and Tejashwi Yadav have been named, saying "the people of Bihar have been made to do away with their land to get jobs".

"The people of Bihar must also not forgive constituents of the INDIA bloc, which ruled Delhi and Maharashtra when mass exodus of labourers took place during the COVID pandemic", asserted the Prime Minister.

He also lauded ally Nitish Kumar, the Bihar chief minister who heads the JD(U), for his governance track record.

PM Modi added, "We had been occupying the 11th spot among economies of the world. Now we are the fifth largest economy".

Referring to the "inheritance tax" controversy, the Prime Minister alleged that "the Congress wants to bring in a law by which one will be deprived of 55 per cent of whatever one's parents have earned and saved. They wish to place a fatwa on one's inheritance".

In keeping with his penchant for connecting with locals wherever he goes, the prime minister addressed the rally wearing the traditional headgear "Mithila paag", on which the lotus, the BJP's poll symbol, was printed.

He also took note of an enthusiastic supporter who brought a cut-out of the PM to the venue.

"I appreciate that you have made Modi dance. Now you please hand it over to the SPG people", said the PM.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)