Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday came down hard on the Congress, accusing it of “sheltering and nurturing terror elements”. Campaigning in Karnataka’s Ballari today, the Prime Minister invoked the controversy over ‘The Kerala Story’ and accused the Congress of opposing the “film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies”.
“The Kerala Story’ film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists’ design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank,” Modi said.
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The film has waded into controversy after several petitions were filed in the Kerala High Court as well as the Supreme Court seeking a ban on its release. The remarks by the Prime Minister came after the Kerala High Court on Friday refused to ban the film, stating that it has found nothing offensive in its trailer.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court too refused to entertain a plea seeking a ban on the release of the film.
Addressing the rally today, PM Modi hit out at the Congress and called their manifesto “full of lies” and said it only talked about bans and appeasement. The BJP, on the other hand, wants to make Karnataka the top state in India, the PM said.
“Now they are having a problem with me for saying ‘Bajrang Bali’,” Modi said, referring to the row over the promise of imposing a ban on right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal in its manifesto. The PM has been heavily critical of the Congress over its promise to act against Bajrang Dal and equated it with “locking up” Lord Hanuman.
“First they kept Lord Ram locked. Now they want to put Bajrang Bali behind bars. They want to lock up those who chant ‘Bajrang Bali ki Jai’,” PM Modi said recently.
Addressing the rally today, the PM also reminded Karnataka citizens of Operation Kaveri — one of the biggest evacuation operations exceuted by India to bring back Indians who were stranded in Sudan. “The situation of civil war in Sudan was such that even big countries refused to evacuate their citizens from there, but the Government of India was engaged in its efforts, he said.
He also attacked the Congress for not standing with the country during the Sudan crisis. “In such tough times, Congress did not stand with the country. Congress deliberately exposed Indians who were stranded in Sudan in front of the troublemakers there,” the PM claimed.