The Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling it a party that stood only for Muslim men, alleging that Modi was spreading the “poison of hatred and division” sensing defeat in the 2019 General Elections.
After laying the foundation stone for the Rs 23,000-crore Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh, Modi attacked the Opposition’s position on triple talaq. “On one side, the Centre is trying to make the lives of women easy, on the other side these people have grouped together to make the lives of women, especially Muslim women, difficult,” Modi said. “I have read in a newspaper that the Congress president has said that Congress is a party of Muslims, I am not surprised by this. All I want to ask is, is their party only for Muslim men or for women too?”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party was for 132 crore Indians and will continue to remain so, according to the Hindustan Times. Surjewala said Modi was lying by using the names of Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Surjewala also said that Modi was “desperate” as he had sensed defeat in the upcoming 2019 General Elections, and was so spreading the “poison of hatred and division” in society. He alleged that Modi was blinded by his desire to take revenge on Rahul Gandhi.
Spokesperson Pramod Tiwari claimed Congress was the only party that has taken every section of the society along with it. “This tradition has been followed from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rahul Gandhi,” he told PTI. “We respect every religion and we don’t believe in the politics of division.”
Congress leader Salman Khurshid claimed the prime minister “knows nothing” about triple talaq. “Does the PM know what triple talaq is?” Khurshid asked. “If he can say in public what is triple talaq, we will be very happy to answer him. I think, the PM should not speak on everything, particularly on the subjects he does not know about.”
“There is no Muslim, Hindu, Christian party,” Khurshid added. “There are political parties and they are political parties made up of human beings.”
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