Maha Congress: PM’s ‘urban Naxals’ jibe at Oppn came out of ‘despair’

Mumbai : The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments targeting the party of being in cahoots with ‘urban Naxals’ as “childish, ridiculous, unbecoming of his position, and arising out of despair”.

In a strong rejoinder, state Congress President Nana Patole claimed that earlier also the PM had labelled Dalits as 'Naxals' and farmers protesting outside Delhi as 'terrorists' and 'Khalistani separatists'.

“The PM has left no stone unturned to attack the Congress… If the 800 million farmers of the country who voted for Modi are Naxals, is he also one of them? The PM should think and exercise restraint before making such comments,” Patole said. Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar also slammed Modi's comments and said he should not have uttered them.

Patole urged Modi to take care while making 'impulsive' and 'irresponsible' statements since he is “the PM representing the 1.4 billion people of India and not a spokesperson for the BJP or the RSS”.

The state Congress chief pointed out that it is inherent in a democracy to criticise the Opposition parties, “but there must be some decorum, especially when the person speaking holds the PM’s office, and the statements must be thoughtful and factual”. “However, Modi perceives all political opponents as enemies… But the people of the country are aware that his government works only for 'friends' and he has sold the country to the Adani Group, leaving the masses high and dry,” said Patole.

He also said that Modi apprehends a major debacle in the Lok Sabha elections next year and even in the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, adding that the PM is making such statements “out of sheer despair over a huge defeat at the Centre and in the states".