'Protecting infiltrators': PM Modi slams TMC; flays Congress for 'harbouring hatred'

NEW DELHI: A day after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee appeared in SC to argue against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in her state, PM Modi on Thursday accused TMC of protecting “ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)”.“Our colleagues from TMC spoke a lot. But they should introspect. Their merciless govt is creating new records of decline, and they are giving sermons here. Such a merciless govt is pushing the future of people into darkness... They only care about power. Even the most prosperous countries are pushing out illegal infiltrators. In our country, courts are being pressured to save infiltrators,” he said. Congress nursing hatred since my Gujarat CM days: ModiAccusing Congress of nursing deep-seated hatred against him since he became Gujarat CM, Modi said Thursday that the party’s chant “Modi teri kabra khudegi (we will bury you)” was reflective of the hatred it harboured against him since he occupied the top job.Modi said the party’s frustration has been growing as he not only became PM, but has continued to be in office since 2014, while Congress considers the PM’s position its feudal fief.“So they think they have been left with only one option — to dig Modi’s grave,” he said. While Congress was engaged in politics of hatred, he was trying to lay the ground for a developed India, Modi said.The PM cited a host of measures his govt has taken — from repeal of Article 370 to peace and development initiatives in the Northeast and military action against terrorists sitting in Pakistan — to assert that Congress has increasingly become bitter towards him due to these developments.

PM address in RS ‘poll rally speech’: CongressCongress on Thursday dismissed PM Modi’s address in RS as an “election rally speech” and said his self-obsession, fixation on “dialogue-baazi” and “demagoguery” were on full display. Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the PM, saying “Modi ji was so afraid of the truth, he took refuge in lies. However, he did what he felt was right.” Party president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi govt of being determined to suppress the voice of opposition. Referring to the PM’s speech as “another election rally speech lasting 97 minutes”, Congress’ Jairam Ramesh said on X, “As always, it was overflowing with abuses and assaults, distortions and dramatics, innuendos and insults — and, of course, his usual quota of blatant and brazen lies. His self-obsession... and his fixation on dialogue-baazi and demagoguery was on full display”. Talking to reporters after opposition MPs staged a walkout during Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in RS, Kharge said the governing party was deliberately preventing opposition leaders from speaking in both Houses of Parliament.Kharge said abusive remarks were made against Nehru and Indira who sacrificed their lives for the nation.