Shirdi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah of spreading lies about her brother Rahul Gandhi that he is against reservation. She said these leaders are scared of Rahul Gandhi because he wants a caste census to be conducted in the country.
Addressing a poll rally in the temple town of Shirdi in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra, she said projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore were snatched away from Maharashtra. "All of us are proud of Maharashtra. But in this land, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is being insulted...you people are being insulted. All these leaders, including Modi ji, take his (Shivaji Maharaj) name, but they do not respect him," Gandhi alleged.
PM laid a foundation for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue but later stopped the work, she said, apparently referring to the warrior king's proposed memorial in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai.
"The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj outside Parliament was removed. The statue installed in Sindhudurg, collapsed as corruption took place in its construction. What is the point of taking the name of the legendary king if you want to insult that person," she said. She challenged PM Modi to announce publicly that a caste census was conducted and the 50 per cent cap on the reservation would be removed.
"But they say from the public platform that my brother is against reservation. The person, who traversed from Manipur to Mumbai carrying out Nyaya Yatra, about him you are saying that he is against reservation. They tell lies from public platforms as they know that the person travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir seeking justice and seeking caste census.
Gandhi added that PM Modi always takes the name of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. "Yes, our ideologies (Congress and Shiv Sena's) were different...Yes, our political thinking was different... But neither Balasaheb Thackeray nor any leader from the Congress and Rahul ji would tolerate the insult of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," she said.
