Rahul Gandhi, burdened by father’s Bofors sins, spreading lies on Rafale: PM Modi

PANAJI

: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi “for spreading lies” on Rafale and said he was doing it to cover up for the sins of his father for the alleged Bofors kickbacks.


“When I think why is he lying so much, I suspect that probably he is

burdened

by the sins of his father from the Bofors deal and is trying to wash them off. In his guilt, he is trying to smear the same sins on the rest of the world,” the Prime Minister said.

Without taking Gandhi’s name, Modi compared the Congress president to an “expert pickpocket” and said like a pickpocket he runs along with the mob crying “thief, thief” after picking his victim’s pocket.

“Naamdar tried a similar stunt with Manohar Parrikar. After he went to inquire about Parrikar’s health, he uttered such white lies after stepping out that one cannot even imagine. This was at a time when Parrikar was battling for his life,” Modi told a 30,000-odd crowd.

Parrikar passed away on March 17 after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.

Gandhi, after a courtesy call with Parrikar in January this year, had claimed that the former Goa chief minister had told him that he (Parrikar) had no role in the Rafale deal. A day later, Parrikar had issued a stinging response refuting Gandhi and had written: “Paying a courtesy visit and then stooping so low as to make a false statement for petty political gain has raised, in my mind, questions about the sincerity and purpose of your visit itself.” He also asked Gandhi to come out with the truth.

Modi said when the lie was caught, “he made such an innocent face… there was not even a frown on his brow. This shows his insensitivity”.

“Through inheritance, he has become the president of the party, but he doesn’t know that he won’t win the credibility of 125 crore people,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said it was an old habit of Congress to target honest people and try and humiliate them. “They tried it with Atal Bihari Vajpayee and George Fernandes and they tried to do the same with Parrikar,” he said.

Modi also said BJP always looked at tax payers with respect and his government has not increased the taxes in the past five years. “But Congress wants to increase the tax on middle class… they want to put additional burden on middle class to secure its vote bank,” he said, adding, “now, Congress is openly saying middle class is selfish”.

He said Congress wants to finish off the entire neo middle class that has come out of poverty and living honestly.