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Modi slams Cong over Telangana issue

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Press Trust of India Davangere (K'nataka)
BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today hit out at Congress for the "pain inflicted" on the people of Andhra Pradesh due to the Telangana issue and said Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul don't have time to visit them even for a "healing touch".

"Two days ago Congress' mahanubhav (Rahul Gandhi) had come to Karnataka, Congress President was also in South - I'm surprised that both madam Sonia and Rahul are coming to south, but both don't have time to visit neighboring Andhra Pradesh," Modi told a 'Bharata Gellisi' rally here.

"Today our Seemandhra and Telangana brothers need healing for their pain inflicted by Congress, but they (Sonia, Rahul) don't have time to speak a few words of healing touch to them," he said on a day when Lok Sabha passed the Telangana Bill.
 

Reminding that Congress' victory in Andhra Pradesh helped it in form the government at the Centre in 2009, Modi said, "... Today when Andhra Pradesh people are in trouble, Congress leaders are not in a mood to speak to them... Congress is in such a state that they are not bothered about people's emotions and sufferings," he added.

Taking on Rahul over his pet theme of women empowerment, Modi said, "This mahanubhav had come here (Karnataka) and expressed his worries for women. If you are so much worried about women, bring down inflation so that our mothers and sisters are relieved."

Blaming Congress for growing number of cases of violence against women in Delhi, he said "... You have made Delhi a rape capital and because of this India is getting defamed."

Criticising the Congress Vice-President for slamming BJP for ignoring corruption in party-ruled states, including Karnataka during the previous regime, Modi said he (Rahul) should tell the people how many Congress leaders were in jail in Rajasthan and Haryana and on what charges.

Calling Congress and corruption as twin sisters, he said, "Wherever Congress goes corruption will follow and wherever there is corruption- Congress will have its presence. Unless we relieve ourselves from Congress, the country cannot be free from corruption," he added.

Refuting Rahul's remarks that bills don't get passed in Parliament because of BJP, he said "... Please develop the habit of speaking truth at least in front of people... Country is witnessing these days who is disrupting Parliament and not allowing it to function", referring to stalling of the House by Congress MPs from Seemandhra.

It was a Congress MP who was involved in the pepper spray incident in Parliament, he added.

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First Published: Feb 18 2014 | 6:54 PM IST

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