Modi blasts UPA, dubs army ‘symbol of secularism’

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi started his campaign as Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate addressing a rally of ex-servicemen at Rewari about 100 kilometres from the national capital. Given the composition of the audience, which was enormous, Modi harped on matters of defence and appealed to the men in uniform to propel his campaign during the coming Lok Sabha polls. He was joined on the dais by former chief of army staff General VK Singh, who had a tumultuous tenure at the South Block nearly falling out with the government.

Modi attacked the Congress-led UPA government at Centre for ‘mishandling’ the recent border troubles with Pakistan and China, saying solutions can be found under a ‘strong leadership’. Modi also came out in strong defence of the Army and called it a ‘symbol of secularism’ lessons of which, he said, should be learnt by politicians.

Modi, in his 65-minute-long address, also lashed out at defence minister AK Antony’s statement in Parliament on the killing of five Indian soldiers when he had said that heavily-armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniform were responsible for the killings. ‘It is unfortunate that the country’s defence minister makes a statement in Parliament that someone came in Pakistani soldiers’ uniform and killed our soldiers...it must have pained our soldiers,’ he said.

Noting that Sunday’s rally is the ‘call for change’ and that the ‘land of Haryana has challenged the Delhi Sultanate,’ he said ‘when you are standing amid the Army in battlefield, then your ability to lead is seen.’ Modi also slammed the UPA for Sachar Committee’s bid to seek a community-wise census in the Indian armed forces, saying it was a ‘sin’ by those in Delhi who were ‘power hungry’ and ‘believed in vote bank politics.’ He also hailed the armed forces for opposing the move.

‘The politics of vote banks has become disgusting in our country. Politicians who want to divide the society through vote bank politics, should learn true secularism from our armed forces,’ Modi told the rally. He also made several references to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and compared the moderate face of the saffron party to the sulking patriarch LK Advani. ‘It feels good to recall the government of Atalji and Advaniji,’ Modi said, while underlining the need for ‘capable leadership’ to resolve pressing issues. He said it was Vajpayee who had brought to world’s centre stage the Kashmir issue and terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.

‘India’s neighbouring countries,’ he said, were posing problems to it because of a ‘weak’ government at the Centre. ‘The problem is in Delhi. And hence the solution to this problem has to be found in Delhi itself. The problem will be solved only when a competent, patriotic and people-oriented government is formed at the Centre,’ he said.

Modi also chose the occasion to attack JD (U), which parted ways with the NDA three months ago, ending a 17-year-old alliance over the Gujarat CM’s elevation. ‘It is the acme of shamelessness when a public representative says that people join Army to die,’ he said. Modi was referring to remarks by a minister in Bihar government. Raising the issue of ‘one-rank one-pension,’ the BJP leader said that had the Vajpayee-led NDA returned to power in 2004, this would have been solved and demanded that UPA release a white paper on the matter.