‘People won't forgive insult to my mother’: Modi slams Oppn

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday criticised the Opposition in Bihar, and specifically, the RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi ‘without naming them, saying that attacks targeting his late mother ‘was as an attack on all mothers, sisters, and daughters in the country, and claiming that the people of the state would not forgive them for this affront.

- Vijay Swaroop

‘Modi was speaking virtually at the launch of the Bihar Rajya Jeev-ika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited, formed with an objective to ensure and boost access to credit and other financial services to women Self Help Groups. His reference was to some abuses that were hurled at his mother from the stage at an event in Darbhanga in the state recently. One person has been arrested for this. The RJD and the Congress claim that it is not their party but the BJP, which is known for “gali-galauj” (abusive language).

“My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?” Modi questioned. “I may forgive them, but the people of Bihar will never pardon them for insulting my mother. People of the state must say that they will punish the leaders of these parties in the coming days,” he said.

“You all know that now my mother is not alive. Some time ago, after completing 100 years of age, she left us all. That mother , who has nothing to do with politics, who is no more, was abused from the stage of the RJD, Congress. Sisters and mothers, I can see your faces; I can only imagine the pain you must have felt. I can see tears in the eyes of some mothers. This is very sad, painful.”

Watching the address, Bihar BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal broke down. “There can be no bigger sin than abusing the late mother of Prime Minister Modi... Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav have shamed the land of Bihar... ! also got emotional... One should not stoop so low to get power,” he said.