Reacting on suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark against him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that the Congress party had not called him 'Neech' for the first time as party president Sonia Gandhi and her family members had made similar derogatory remarks.
While addressing a public gathering here, Prime Minister Modi said: "They have not called me 'Neech' for the first time yesterday. Sonia Gandhi and her family members have used it too. Why am I 'Neech' - because I was born poor, because I am of a lower caste, because I am a Gujarati? Is that why they hate me."
Continuing his tirade against the Congress, the Prime Minister Modi said, "What did Anand Sharma say-PM Modi is mentally unstable. A Congress leader re-tweeted such an offensive post about me that I cannot even say it. What did Digvijaya Singh tweet about me? Evidently, one Gujarati, a person born into a poor family has troubled them a lot."
The Prime Minister continued to dictate evidences where the senior Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Pramod Tiwari, Jairam Ramesh, Beni Prasad Verma and Ghulam Nabi Azad have used derogatory remarks against him.
"Divijaya Singh said Modi Sarkar is like Rakshas Raaj and Modi is Ravana. Pramod Tiwari, who headed the Congress in UP, said Modi is in the list of Hitler, Mussolini and Gaddafi. Day and night the Congress has abused me. I keep quiet only because my priority is work," he said.
"One more Congress leader called me a monkey. Jairam Ramesh compared me to Bhasmasur. Beni Prasad Verma called me a mad dog. He also said we won't let this mad dog win. Ghulam Nabi Azad said I am Gangu Teli. Are these the kind of things we should say in public life?" he added.
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"Imran Masood, who they gave a ticket to, he said we will cut Modi into pieces.Renuka Chowdhury called me a virus. She said I bring Namonitis. I don't even want to get started on what Gujarat Congress leaders have been calling me," he stated.
The Prime Minister questioned the moral and ethics of the age-old party.
"Where is the decency in the language the Congress leaders have used for me. What did I do to deserve this? Is it my crime that the people of India have reposed their faith in me?" he asked.
Aiyar on Thursday termed Prime Minister Modi as 'neech aadmi' (low-born) and said he was not civilised enough and should refrain from practicing "dirty politics".
However, Aiyar clarified that the word 'neech' holds different meanings, adding he would want to apologise for the wrong translation.
A political slugfest erupted between contesting political parties ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
Gujarat has a total number of 182 assembly seats and the polling will be held in two phases.
Voting in 89 constituencies of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region will be held in the first phase on December 9, while the remaining 93 constituencies in Central and northern regions go for polls in the second phase on December 14.
The counting of the two-phase election is slated on December 18.