BJP’s bizarre defence, BSP MP in support
Even as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi continued to be slammed for his “Hindu nationalist” and “puppy” remarks, the BJP came up with a somewhat bizarre defence, saying his comments “reveal the compassion, the childlike heart of Narendra Modi”.
Though the Congress and JD(U) termed his comments “dangerous” and called him a “frustrated” person, senior BSP leader and MP Vijay Bahadur Singh supported the saffron poster boy, saying his “puppy” remark showed him as “sensitive” and those attacking him as “anti-national”.
Leading the relentless attack on the Gujarat CM from the Congress side, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said, “Like Savarkar and Jinnah, Modi should not try to divide the nation.”
Senior Congress leader and minority affairs minister Rahman Khan said in Bengaluru, “He (Modi) is not a stable man. He doesn’t know what he wants to convey to the people. Sometimes he is a Hindu nationalist and sometimes a nationalist.”
Mr Modi had stirred up a political storm by saying in an interview to Reuters that he had done “absolutely the right thing” during the 2002 Gujarat riots and describing himself as a “Hindu nationalist”. He had also said that even if a “puppy comes under the wheel of a car, one feels sad” when asked whether he regretted the 2002 riots. The comment was seen as comparing Muslims with puppies.
JD(U) leader Anwar Ali, referring to Mr Modi’s comment about being a “Hindu nationalist”, said his remarks were dangerous as “Nathuram Godse was also a Hindu nationalist and he killed Mahatma Gandhi”.
Another Congress leader, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, said, “These are such vulgar comments that I do not even want to comment on it.”
However, Mr Modi received support from an unexpected quarter when BSP MP Vijay Bahadur Singh said, “If he says that he feels bad if a puppy gets crushed under the wheels of his car, then it shows that he is a sensitive and compassionate person. These are my personal views, but his remarks should not be misinterpreted. He is not referring to any community... His remarks are being misinterpreted.”
The BSP MP from Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, said Mr Modi’s statement is “100 per cent correct and it is in the interest of the nation. Those who oppose him are doing so for political interests. Those who oppose his remarks are rashtra drohis (anti-national.”
Launching a counter-offensive, the BJP said the Congress is “twisting” Mr Modi’s comments.
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