Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on?Sunday that Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat Assembly elections, and asked the Congress to come clean on reports of its top functionaries recently meeting leaders from the neighbouring country.
The PM also raised questions over a reported appeal by former director-general of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made Gujarat's Chief Minister in case the Congress wins the elections. The PM said former Congress minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (vile) a day after an alleged meeting of Pakistani leaders with top Congress functionaries.
"There were media reports on Saturday about a three-hour closed-door meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," the PM said.
"No Indian official was present during this meeting and the government also was not intimated later," the PM said.
"The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he said. The PM said that Rafiq had backed Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. "On one side Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, and on the other, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he said.
"All know that relations between India and Pakistan are a sensitive issue and our Congress leaders meet Pakistani leaders secretly. Can any Indian tolerate this? Should we tolerate such activities taking place on the sovereign land of India? Congress is in utter depression and that is why they are trying to finish me by hook or crook. Congress should answer on this issue," said Modi, as he escalated his attack on Gujarat's Opposition party that's been out of power in the state for 22 years.
"And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts?," Modi said. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it wants to do.
Modi was addressing a rally at Palanpur in Banaskantha district for the ongoing assembly polls. The second and final phase of polling in north and central Gujarat, including Banaskantha, will take place on December 14. Results for the 182-member Assembly will be out on December 18.
(With PTI inputs)
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