JAIPUR, Nov 23:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said a Gurjar’s son who gave his life to the Congress was removed like a fly in milk after the party came to power in Rajasthan, in an apparent reference to Sachin Pilot and his father, late Rajesh Pilot.
Sachin Pilot, who lost his posts of state Congress chief as well as deputy Chief Minister for rebelling against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, had hit back at Modi on Wednesday after the Prime Minister made similar remarks.
Addressing a poll rally in Rajsamand, Modi said, “A Gurjar’s son struggles to make his place in politics, gives his life to the party and after coming to power, the royal family removes him like a fly in milk.”
“They did the same with late Rajesh Pilot and are doing the same with his son,” he said, alleging that the Congress is “insulting” Gurjars now and had insulted the community in the past too.
Modi had accused the Congress on Wednesday of punishing Sachin Pilot by meting out the same treatment to him as was done to his father, saying anyone who speaks the truth in the grand old party is shunted out of politics and suggesting that Rajesh Pilot lost favour with the Congress leadership after he contested against Sitaram Kesri for the party president’s post in 1997.
Sachin Pilot has been involved in a power tussle with Gehlot and the prime minister has been referring to it frequently during campaigning in the poll-bound state.
Reacting to Modi’s comments, Pilot said there is no need for anyone other than his party and the people to worry about him.
He said his father was a dedicated Congressman throughout his life and the Prime Minister’s statements were far from the truth and aimed at diverting people’s attention.
Pilot is a Gurjar leader and the community had voted the Congress to power from eastern Rajasthan in 2018.
On the reaction of Congress leaders to his statement, Modi on Thursday said, “The Congress is not answering my real questions. It is lying with full force that the royal family of the Congress never insulted Rajesh Pilot. Answer the questions I raised.”
He wondered how can the Congress deny that Sachin Pilot was abused with words, such as “gaddar” (traitor), and “nakara” and “nikamma” (worthless).
Modi said he had not seen the photo of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the party’s posters during his road show in Jaipur and alleged that the grand old party does not care about Dalits.
“On the Congress posters, Gehlotji is visible, people from the royal family are visible, but our Khargeji is not visible. Should the Congress behave like this with the son of a Dalit mother?” he asked the gathering.
Slamming the Congress, the Prime Minister said, “Rajasthan has never seen a more anti-women Government than this. Therefore, the people of the state have resolved to overthrow the Congress Government.”
He alleged that “be it water, the sky or land, the claws of the Congress do only one thing — loot”.
Modi also said if the BJP is voted to power in the desert state, it will not stop the good work of the current Government. (PTI)
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