Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
“These three AKs are sustaining terrorism in Kashmir and other parts of India,” he told a fervent crowd in the town of Hiranagar, Indian Kashmir. It was one of 185 Bharat Vijay rallies that the Gujarat chief minister will address throughout the country.
“The wind has turned,” Modi cried out during the rally. Referring to the BJP’s electoral symbol, he declared, “This time, the lotus will bloom here.”
The rally was in sharp contrast to Modi’s comparatively restrained December 2013 Lalkar rally in Indian Kashmir, as he disparaged his rivals. He slammed Antony and Kejriwal for ‘helping the country’s enemy’, Pakistan. When the Indian army made ‘unambiguously clear’ last year that Pakistani troops had ‘butchered eight jawans’ in Poonch, Modi said, Antony came to Pakistan’s rescue by saying in parliament that the assailants were unidentified men in Pakistani combat uniform.
Regarding Kejriwal, he said, “This AK-49 in his website shows Kashmir as a part of Pakistan. And his close aide wants referendum in Kashmir.”
The Congress party was not spared. “Whenever I speak of development, the Congress counters it with false claims on secularism,” Modi said. He targeted Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his comment that Congress ‘is a thought’, retorting, “Dear Shehzada, this country has reached the state it is in because of your thoughts.”
Modi raised the issue of the alleged exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the state and also the deaths of soldiers on the Line of Control. “Terrorists didn’t just kill people in [Indian Kashmir], they attacked Kashmiriyat and struck at the core of humanity,” he said.
He asserted that Pakistan-backed terrorists had carried out hundreds of bloodbaths in Indian Kashmir including the one in September 2013 when nine soldiers and innocent civilians were killed in attacks in Hiranagar and Samba.
The nationalist leader said he would promote democracy and equality if he came to power at elections, which kick off next month. “We will follow humanity, democracy and Kashmiri-ness, the path shown by Vajpayee,” Modi told the gathering, referring to the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, as he asked voters to ‘trust’ him in a state that sends six MPs to the national parliament in New Delhi.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2014.
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Another third rate leader in another third world country using propaganda to incite hatred and gain more votes. Good leaders should look towards resolving issues in their country before they venture outside their borders.... sad day for India if such a narcissist comes to power....
@Umar: All I can say is that more muslims of Pakistan (I have always made a distinction between muslims and muslims of Pakistan and have said so clearly in my comments earlier) hate muslims of Pakistan itself, than hindus of India hating muslims. Don't believe me? If you are living in Lahore or Karachi, just walk around on the streets and read the wall chalkings, read what is written on the big billboards, stand outside a sunni mosque and listen to what you hear on the loud speakers, attend the DPC rallies. Pakistan's see it day in and day out. You don't need to read an international report. As far as Mumbai, you know that all muslim graveyards refused to accept the dead bodies of the Pakistani muslim terrorists who were killed by the Indian security forces. Just after Mumbai attacks, the muslim dominated Bollywood asked all Pakistani participants in the Sa,Re,Ga,Ma,Pa musical show leave and they did not allow them to participate. Muslims are different from Muslims of Pakistan. When the election results come out, you will see Modi doing were well in muslim dominated constituencies. Because of 100% electronic voting and thumb impression verification, you cannot manipulate the votes that are actually casted and nor can you have bogus votes.
@Indian Observer: Never mind but you my friend are the exact definition of a deluded Indian that the whole world laughs at. We Pakistanis for one mind our own business, while in your country people consider Pakistan as their primary business. Stoneage nation, kasai nation and whatever you called Pakistan, I can't be bothered to tell you the gems we have been producing who have made their mark internationally for Pakistan. You mentioned that Mumbai incident, all I can say is we Pakistanis disown those guys involved, I know we can't bring those lives back. All the other people causing fuss over here are known as 'terrorists'. Need I spell this out further?? @Raj_Usa How convenient it is to distort facts. Your friend above said it was a 'band of Pakistani propaganda fed Muslims' that caused Gujrat incident, and next comment I read from you where you are trying to portray that you are all brothers and your Muslim brothers hate Pakistan even more then you. Purely comical! Everything starts and ends at Pakistan just that its portrayed as per whats suitable and convenient at a given situation. No wonder politicians like Modi are most successful ones in your country.
@UNO..!! Nothing but more prosperity & for your knowledge (please keep this truth always in mind without prejudice and hatred) Riots started when Muslims (in fact i do not consider them as Muslim) burned 59 Hindu (25 women, 15 Children) Pilgrims "ALIVE" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhratrainburning Looking for your response
The unfortunate reality is that negative statements about Pakistan play well with some sections of the population in India. The Hindutva brigade tweets constantly about Pakistan and obviously this feeds communalism. Few politicians have the courage to question this rhetoric, and Modi's inflammatory statements are just the extreme end of the spectrum. The mainstream media also bears a lot of responsibility, with few journalists carrying positive stories about Pakistan.
Why do Pakistanis think that Modi is trying to garner hindu votes by talking about Pakistan. In fact, he is trying to garner muslim votes in India by talking about Pakistan. Indian muslims hate Pakistan than the hindus for the Mumbai attacks.
@Umar: at Truther
You still have some very wrong and unfounded arrogance and vanity about Pakistan which is despised not just in India but also in the rest of the world as a stone-age country of extremists, terrorists and fanatics. Having said that, how can you expect Indians to have anything but resentment and suspicion towards Pakistanis. I cannot judge all Pakistanis as hate-spewing religious fanatics; I have known, personally, some very decent Pakistanis whom I would like to be friends for life. But there are, sadly, also many parochial fanatics who have been brainwashed by their equally or even more fanatic religious clergy and, of course, the wrong indoctrination and rubbish they are exposed to in their impressionable school years when they are taught that Indians are their enemies. There is, of course, a lot of resentment in places like Mumbai, Pune and other cities where the people cannot - and will not - forget the carnage committed by heavily-armed Pakistani Killers who sprayed bullets on unarmed, innocent and totally unprepared civilian population that included small children. Is it any wonder that Pakistanis are (unfairly, I may add) dubbed as a "kasai Nation" (a nation of butchers!). And you may like to beat the horse dead by repeating the lie that Modi was behind the Gujarat killings of Muslims, although you conveniently forgot to mention that a band of Muslims, fed with hate Propaganda which we know came from across Pakistan, torched a train full of Hindus that sparked the rioting and violence as a reflex action.. Modi's role, if any, in the incidents in Gujarat was the subject of an intense critical scutiny by all the court instances, including the supreme court, which cleared him of any wrongdoing. So, if you keep repeating lies, it will not become the truth. Of course, you are welcome to believe what you like. But, in the final analysis, it will be Indians who will decide who will govern India in the next five years.
"Modi raised the issue of the alleged exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the state " Alleged exodus of Kashmiri Pandits? Alleged? What a choice of words! If you have any doubts about that, go visit the "alleged" Kashmiri Pandits in refugee camps living in utter squalor, thanks to the state and federal governments, because, unfortunately for them, they cannot be a vote-bank for either one of them. Google "US Human Rights Commission, Kashmiri Pandits" and UN Human rights Commission, Kashmiri Pandits"
This kind of childish nonsense by Modi smells of desperation, but raises a more serious point. As long as everything connected with Pakistan is automatically a term of abuse in Indian politics, the most right-wing forms of nationalism will always come out on top. Liberal and secular forces will never be able to dominate in a discourse of the form "we are more patriotic than you". It is time to challenge this discourse. The BJP and the Jamaat - two sides of the same coin.
Read this AK's name for the first time, and Mr. Modi thinks he is popular here. 67 years and still anti Pakistan sentiment is the bread and butter for Indian politicians. I hope if their politicians are not getting matured, their public is sensible enough to not to fell victim to this evil once again. Both our countries need to get rid of this hatred.
Bin Laden massacred 3000 people in America and was termed as terrorist and condemned to death. Modi massacred 3000 people in Hinduatn and was termed as nationalist and destined to premiership.
Indian politicians always drags Pakistan in to their polotics to gain cheap publicity. This person was responsible for Gujrat Muslims killings. How he can blame Pakistan for terrorism.
Does he plan to contest elections in Pakistan?
Modi missed the most important AK..that is Azad Kashmir. what an immature behaviour he is having. I am proud of Pakistan politions that during election campaign here, they never abused India like this. Our polititions are more mature than that of the "World's Biggest Democracy"
Why all of a sudden every Indian and Bangladeshi political leader is worried about Pakistan? If Mr Modi wants to be the next Indian PM, then he should focus on his country's issues. He should understand that if he becomes the PM, he will have to work on India's foreign policy and no matter what his thoughts are toward Pakistan, the fact is that he cannot change India's neighbors.