The BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate denounced the controversy over his usage of the phrase used by late Batra and wondered "what kind of politics is this" that one even cannot remember martyrs.
In a 3D telecast, he said Congress is using "all tricks in the book and all abuses" to target him as it is sensing defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
He was referring to his comment in Himachal Pradesh where he used the phrase 'yeh dil maange more' to seek 300 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Batra's father G L Batra said his son should not be dragged into politics.
"Vikram Batra is a son of India. Is it a crime to remember a martyr? Their parents have sacrificed a lot and I bow to them.... What sort of a political fever is this that does not allow you to remember the martyrs of India," he said.
Asserting that he had not insulted Batra, Modi said, "I would rather quit politics than even think of insulting our martyrs and their parents. Modi is made of different mettle.