With a large number of migrant workers from Hindi-belt states leaving Gujarat following alleged attacks on them there, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it must be remembered he has to contest election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
The Mumbai Congress chief also said that the people of Varanasi had embraced Modi and "made him the prime minister despite his lies".
Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat before becoming prime minister, is now a Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi.
A large number of Hindi-speaking people have come under attack in Gujarat by some local groups after a migrant labourer from Bihar allegedly raped a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28.
Following the attacks, a large number of people from Hindi-belt states including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have reportedly fled Gujarat over the last one week.
"I condemn the rape incident. But you can't defame the entire community because of a person's crime. You cannot look at the entire community from a particular angle," Nirupam said.
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Speaking at an event of Hindi-speaking people in Nagpur on Sunday, Nirupam said the entire north Indian community is under attack and they are being forced to flee.
"It (Gujarat) is the home state of the prime minister... It should be remembered the prime minister has to contest polls (again) from Varanasi," Nirupam said.
The Congress leader said the people in north Indian states think on national lines and not on regional basis.
"We are into politics in Maharashtra. We are asked what we have got to do there. But do you know George Fernandes contested election from Bihar?" asked Nirupam, who also hails from Bihar.
Fernandes, founder of the Samata Party and a former Union Minister, was born in Karnataka and moved for job to Mumbai, where he became a prominent trade unionist. He later contested Lok Sabha polls from Bihar.
Since the alleged rape case in Sabarkantha, at least six districts have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, according to police.
The state government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation.
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