“I may forgive but people of Bihar won’t pardon them for insulting my dead mother”

NEW DELHI, Sep 2: In his first reaction to the alleged abuses hurled at his mother during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was “deeply pained” by the incident, but asserted that while he might forgive the RJD and the Congress, the people of the state will never “pardon them”.
Taking a dig at the opposition parties over the recent incident in Darbhanga, he said using expletives against his mother was not a big deal for those who insult ‘Mother India’.
“My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?” he said, with his voice choking with emotion.
“I may forgive them for once, but the people of this country have never brooked any insult to one’s mother… It is now the duty of every son of Bihar to hold the RJD-Congress combine accountable for their conduct. In every town and street, wherever their leaders go, they must get the message loud and clear that insult to mothers and sisters will not be tolerated,” the PM said.
“Mothers and sisters must also come out on the streets to demand an explanation from the RJD-Congress combine for the reprehensible occurrence and tell them that this would not be tolerated. This attitude of holding women in contempt must be reined in,” he added.
The PM was addressing the virtual launch of ‘Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Sahkari Sangh Limited’, a cooperative initiative that aims to provide easy access to funds at affordable interest rates to women’s self-help groups.
“Bihar is the land of Maa Janki… it has always given respect to women. I had never imagined such a thing would happen…My mother was abused from the dais of the RJD-Congress combine. It was not an insult to my mother but an insult to the mothers and daughters of Bihar… people of the state will never forgive them,” Modi said.
Noting that the incident was painful for him as a son, he said the huge presence of women at the event gave him the strength to “bear the pain and the insult”.
The PM highlighted the role played by women voters of the state in ousting the RJD from power, alleging that “mothers and sisters were the worst sufferers of the lawlessness that prevailed when they were in power”.
“The government then protected murderers and rapists… mothers and sisters used to live in terror until their menfolk returned home unharmed,” he said.
“Since mothers and sisters have played a major role in defeating the RJD-led alliance again and again, it is now hell bent upon taking revenge on the women of the state,” said Modi, who also claimed that the Darbhanga incident was reflective of the ‘misogyny’ of the opposition coalition.
The PM, who uttered a Bhojpuri proverb that asserted the belief that one’s mother was superior to gods and goddesses, also referred to the upcoming festivals of Navratri and Chhath.
“The Congress-RJD must be asked to apologise to saat-bahini and Chhathi Maiya,” said Modi, referring to the belief that Goddess Durga had seven sisters and the practice of worshipping the Sun God in a feminine form.
Last week, a purported video of a person screaming an expletive into a microphone at a small podium erected on the outskirts of Darbhanga by a local Congress leader went viral, even as the organiser claimed that no party functionary of consequence was present at the time of the incident.
The accused, a 25-year-old resident of Darbhanga, has been arrested, but tempers continue to be frayed with the BJP hitting the streets on the issue and its workers exchanging fisticuffs with Congress leaders at the opposition party’s state headquarters.
BJP leaders have also been insisting on an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had led the recently concluded ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, but both maintained they have nothing to do with the incident since the abuse was hurled in their absence by a person not known to them.
Using the expression ‘naamdar’ (people with big names) to underscore the alleged elitist disposition of leaders such as Gandhi and Yadav, Modi said, “They have been uncomfortable ever since this son of a poor mother rose to power. They resent the rise of women and the backward classes alike. A reason why they spare no opportunity to belittle Droupadi Murmu, the country’s first woman President.” Meanwhile, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal was moved to tears when Modi voiced anguish over the Darbhanga incident.
Jaiswal watched the function, addressed by the PM through video conference, at the party’s state headquarters here. He was seen wiping his eyes when Modi spoke about the incident.
“The incident has brought disrepute to Bihar. We cannot insult the mother of anyone, least of all the prime minister,” Jaiswal, a former state minister, told PTI.
“The PM’s mother died some time back. She was not into politics. She never even visited his official residence. Thinking of all these things, I was moved to tears,” he said.
Meanwhile, state minister Shravan Kumar, who belongs to JD(U), said, “The insult to the PM’s mother is a deplorable incident. Such behaviour will never be accepted by the people of Bihar.” (PTI)

Congress is ‘quintessential vote chor’, alleges BJP

NEW DELHI, Sep 2: Poll authorities in Delhi have issued a notice to Congress leader Pawan Khera for allegedly getting himself registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency.
The district election officer of New Delhi district shared a copy of the notice issued to Khera on X. The Congress leader has been directed to reply to the notice by 11 am on September 8.
“It has been brought to my notice that you have got your name registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency,” read the notice.
According to the notice, Khera is enrolled as a voter in New Delhi and Jangpura assembly constituencies.
“As you may be aware, that being registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency is a penal offence under the Representation of People Act, 1950. You are therefore, directed to show cause as to why action should not be taken against you under said Act,” read the notice.
Reacting to the development, Khera said in a post on X, “…Yet another confirmation of how the @ECISVEEP functions to support the ruling regime. While our complaints of Vote Chori are disregarded, the EC rushes to act against opposition members.” He questioned why the Election Commission did not issue a single notice to “the 1,00,000 fake voters of Mahadevapura constituency, that were exposed by @RahulGandhi?” “We will not stop exposing the EC’s wrongdoings in the Bihar SIR (Special Intensive Revision) and other election processes,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the BJP alleged that Khera had two voter IDs while Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was running a campaign against voter roll revision in Bihar to “protect and hide” his party’s theft of votes.
Reacting to having two ID cards and the BJP allegations, Khera told PTI Videos, “I came to know from him (BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya) only that I have a second EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card). I had applied to remove it in 2016-17, but it seems that did not happen and the EC is to be blamed for this.” Khera also demanded that the Election Commission (EC) seek an affidavit from the BJP on their allegations against him.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here on Tuesday, party national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also claimed that Khera, the Congress’ media department head and Gandhi’s “close associate”, had two voter IDs with different EPIC numbers registered in Jangpura and New Delhi assembly constituencies in the national capital.
“Rahul Gandhi and his close associates are chor (thieves) and making shor (noise),” he said.
“The nexus between Rahul Gandhi and Pawan Khera that has come to light today makes it clear that Rahul Gandhi hates the poor, deprived and oppressed of the country so much that to save the vote chori of his own party leaders and to hide their vote fraud, he is calling the citizens of Bihar ‘farzi’ and and ‘chor’ in Bihar,” Bhandari charged.
“Rahul Gandhi and Congress are running a voter fraud racket in which different Congress leaders, who have multiple voter IDs, are given protection,” he alleged and demanded a reply from Gandhi on the issue.The BJP spokesperson demanded a probe by agencies concerned into Khera allegedly possessing two voter IDs, calling it a crime under the Representation of People Act, and also asked Gandhi if he would take any action against Khera and remove him from the Congress. (PTI)

People make their way as the Yamuna River has risen and crossed the danger mark after incessant heavy rainfall, near Loha Pul, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)