Addressing a huge rally in Dehradun, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday took potshots at the Congress saying politics have stopped people from wiping off the tears of the people who suffered in Uttarakhand floods.
"Can politics be so ruthless that no one can share the pain of others? That we cannot wipe the tears of the sufferers? I came running at the time of that disaster. But this ruthless politics send me off from there. I am still troubled by that pain and suffering of the people during tragedy," said Modi who offered helped during the Uttarakhand disaster.
Drawing a parallel with 2001 Bhuj Earthquake, he said, "Gujarat too faced a natural calamity and many people died in it. But from wherever help came, we welcomed it. We were in problem, so we took help from everybody. Uttarakhand too helped us. Even Pakistan helped us. In the time of pain and suffering, the shadow of politics increases the pain. And humanity asks for answers,"
"I have a special relationship with this land. I have affection towards the Himalayas and Himalayan people. I was fascinated by the soberness and sincerity of the people here. I stayed here and have learnt a lot here. This land has given me a lot, and by god's grace, and,your blessing, I would like to repay all of it," he added.
Defending Baba Ramdev against whom the government is conducting an investigation, Modi said: "Whether the government is in Delhi or in Dehradun, these people are detached from the people and are very clever minded. The amount of energy they have invested in running behind Baba Ramdev, if they had used the same for the betterment of the people, then I am sure their condition would have been different."
"I am not able to understand the Congress's political thinking that why a person like Baba Ramdev is itching them so much. Ramdev is asking people to breathe while the Congress is feeling breathless." he further added.
"After Uttarakhand was formed, AB Vajpayee government provided a financial package to the state irrespective of it being ruled by the Congress government. But they wiped off everything. When there is activity in a state, then it helps the government to gather funds. But they are busy closing everything down, so that their own shop can keep on running," he said lauding former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
