New Delhi, Sep 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for "spreading falsehood to mislead people" and accused it of insulting India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by calling his "Statue of Unity" as one Made in China.
"The Congress as government was corrupt and a failure, which is known to every citizen. In the last four years, the Congress has only spread lies, it has become arrogant, it has drifted away from the people, it has become insensible and it has failed to perform as an opposition," Modi said during his interaction with BJP workers through video conferencing via NaMo app.
Modi remarks came while responding to a question of a party worker from Uttar Pradesh's Basti parliamentary constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was asked what the party workers should do to deal with the false and baseless allegations being made by the opposition.
The Prime Minister said the Congress' only agenda is to throw muck on others, spread lies and repeat them loudly and mislead people.
Slamming the Congress for spreading lies over the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel named "Statue of Unity" being built in Gujarat was Made in China, he said: "They spread lies on Statue of Unity that it is Made in China. I saw false information in which the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) equated the Sardar Patel statue with shoes Made in China," he said.
"They are taking Sardar Patel's name like this. All these years, they have disrespected Sardar Patel," he said, adding: "How far they will to express their disliking for Sardar Patel?"
Modi's remarks came two days after Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Satna on Thursday said that the statue being built for him in Gujarat is "Made in China" like the Made in China written on mobile phones, shirts and shoes.
"Modiji had promised to build the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat. But later it was revealed that on the back of the statue it was written Made in China," Gandhi said.
The Statue of Unity, which is 182 metres from the ground and 240 metres from the river base of Narmada, has been completed. The inauguration of the statue will be done on Vallabhbhai Patel's 143rd birth anniversary on October 31 by the Prime Minister.
"If you look at their behaviour over the last few days, you will all canard they are spreading. Remember, when the government brought the poor of the country closer to bank and banking services, they spread the lie that their money is not safe in banks.
"Everyday they plan and everyday they spread lies. Their motive is to mislead the people of the country, they want to create an atmosphere of fear to do politics," he alleged.
Modi also asked his party workers to do in-depth research on the issues raised by the Congress to give them befitting reply. He asked them to defend the government and party works through social media platforms and the NaMo app.
Modi would also interact with the party workers from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Uttar Pradesh's Basti, Jharkhand's Dhanbad and Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur parliamentary constituency.
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Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a petition filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) against Mumbai police's refusal to allow a protest against the alleged genocide in Gaza, and advised the party to focus on domestic issues.
The CPI(M) criticised the court's remarks, claiming that it ignored constitutional freedoms and India's traditional support for Palestinian freedom and statehood.
The party moved the court after the police last month denied the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation a permission to stage a rally at Azad Maidan ground in south Mumbai to protest the "genocide" in Gaza.
A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad dismissed the petition, stating that the party should concentrate on problems affecting the country instead of focusing on issues thousands of miles away.
Advocate Mihir Desai, appearing for the CPI(M), told the HC that police denied permission on the ground that it could lead to a law and order problem.
But citizens have the right to demonstrate at a spot designated for such events, and the possibility of law and order situation could not be a reason to deny that right, he contended.
The court, however, did not accept the argument.
In a statement, CPI (M) criticised the court's stand.
"The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) strongly condemns the observations of the Bombay High Court bench while rejecting an application by the party to challenge the Mumbai Police's refusal to allow a protest action against the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza," it said.
While rejecting the plea, the court called into question the patriotism of the party, the CPI (M) claimed.
The HC also opined that the party does not understand `what this could do to the foreign affairs of the country' and, instead of taking up issues such as garbage dumping, pollution, sewerage and flooding it was protesting about something happening far away on foreign land, the CPI (M) further claimed.
The HC appeared to be unaware of either the provisions of the Constitution which enshrines the rights of a political party, or the "history of our country and our people's solidarity with the Palestinians and their legitimate right to homeland," the party said.
The HC observations appeared to be "in line with the central government," the CPI (M) said.
Mahatma Gandhi, the national movement and "subsequent foreign policy of independent India" had not flinched from supporting the cause of Palestinian people's right to freedom and homeland, the party said.
The HC also did not take into account "unequivocal condemnation globally against Israeli action and the stated positions of the UN bodies and the International Court of Justice," the CPI(M) said.