Author: PTI
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 4, 2009
http://www.dailypioneer.com/173873/Modi-asks-Muslims-to-choose-development-over-vote-bank-politcs.html
Charging the Congress, BSP and SP with treating
Muslims as a mere vote bank and doing little for their welfare, Gujrat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the minority community to shun these
parties and support the BJP's "politics of development" which was
visible in Gujarat.
"Madam Sonia, SP and BSP only indulge
in vote bank politics.... BJP is the only political party in the country which
believes in politics of development," the Gujarat Chief Minister said
at an election rally here which was held amid tight security with the election
authorities keeping a strict vigil on the proceedings.
"What has the politics of vote bank given
us in the past 60 years. People still do not have water to drink, no roofs
over their head and no proper education for children," the Hindutva posterboy
said.
The BJP star campaigner said "one family"
had ruled the country on the basis of vote bank politics but gave nothing
to Muslims in return.
The only way to get rid of this politics was
to support the "politics of development as was currently visible in Gujarat."
"Despite the gloomy picture presented
about Muslims in Gujarat, the Muslims of Gujarat have the maximum per capita
income in the country," Modi claimed.
Continuing his tirade against Manmohan Singh,
Modi said that the Prime Minister feels bad when he is termed as "weak"
but he should have taken a "bold" initiative against Pakistan "which
only understood the language of force" and proved otherwise.
