Congress invoking secularism to divert people's attention: Narendra Modi

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Friday accused the Congress party of invoking secularism to divert the people's attention from issues like corruption and price rise.

"The Congress party has always tried to divert the public from the main topics and evaded questions on corruption and price rise," Modi said at an election rally here. "Whenever, I tried to raise the issues of employment and women empowerment, the Congress in retaliation starts taking about secularism to divert the people from the main topics," he said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi hardly paid heed to the problems of the people during her party's rule, said the Gujarat chief minister.

Modi also accused the Congress of being the main reason for the poor sanitary problem and the deterioration of the financial condition of the farmers in the state. "The Congress party has always sought power. It does not have any intention to work for the welfare of the people. It is because of the lack of efforts made by the Congress, the state does not have proper sanitation system. The financial condition of farmers has also deteriorated," he said.