Act against PM for bulldozer remark, INDIA leaders urge EC
New Delhi, May 18
INDIA bloc leaders on Saturday slammed PM Narendra Modi over his remark that “the Opposition will bulldoze Ram Temple if it comes to power”, and urged the Election Commission to take suo motu action against him for “instigating people”.
“Bulldozer is the specialty of the BJP government. We have never used bulldozer against anyone. Accusing us of planning to destroy a temple being built by a trust is to create distrust and anger in the minds of people. The EC should take action against those who resort to making instigative speeches. None other than the PM himself is doing it. If it was a small fry, we would have ignored it. Bulldozer and this and that – kind of things we could never do — the PM is accusing us of doing,” Kharge said.
“After we form the government, we will take care of all sections and carry on in accordance with the Constitution,” he added.
Kharge, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar jointly addressed a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, the last day of campaigning for the final phase of the Lok Sabha poll in the state.
Addressing election rallies in Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi on Friday said the Congress and the Samajwadi Party would run bulldozer over the Ram Temple if they were voted to power.
Thackeray said the INDIA bloc’s government would complete the construction work of the Ram Temple, while Pawar said it would be the duty of their government to protect not just temples, but places of worship of all religions. Kharge said reservations as enshrined in the Constitution would stay.
“We have never resorted to using a bulldozer on anyone. Modi is in the habit of lying and inciting people about things that Congress will never do,” he said.
On his party’s stand on Article 370, Kharge said, “I am not answerable to Modi. We will implement what we have promised in our manifesto.” Attacking the PM, he said, “Wherever he goes, he tries to create division and polarise people.”
Pulling up the PM for claiming credit for providing free ration of 5 kg to 80 crore people, Kharge said, “Our government enacted the Food Security Act and Modi had no choice but to implement it. The Congress has now promised to give 10 kg free ration,” he said.
Pawar also said while the previous government had passed the Food Security Act, Modi was taking credit. Thackeray said the INDIA bloc had several prime ministerial faces, while the BJP had only one, who “is no more acceptable to the people of the country”.
