Modi attacks Shinde, accuses Cong of playing vote bank politics

Panaji: Accusing Congress of playing vote bank politics, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde over his proposal to state governments to review terror cases against members of the minority community.

"Just look at their brazenness, they are playing communal politics. The Home Minister has written a letter to state governments that if you arrest a law breaker, see that Muslims are not arrested. Why is it so? Does a law breaker have any religion," he said while addressing a rally here.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Reuters

"Will religion decide the fate of a law breaker whether he should be arrested or released? There should be no discrimination on basis of religion. One should not be punished for belonging to a particular religion but this should be for all people. There should be no vote bank politics," Modi said.

He said when the Prime Minister is asked about such letters, "he expresses surprise over them and says he will look into the matter. This is how he reacts and responds." The BJP has hit out at Shinde for the way he is taking up the issue of criminal law where only public prosecutor and judge can take a final call on withdrawing cases and said the Home Minister is "ill-advised" on the matter as he has no right to withdraw such cases.

The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate made a veiled reference to the removal of Jayanti Natarjan from Environment Ministry, saying for the first time he had heard of "Jayanti tax" apparently referring to swirling allegations during her tenure.

"There was a storm over the Environment Ministry and all files were blocked. No file was moving without money. We had heard ofincome, sales and excise taxes but for the first time, we heard about a Jayanti tax in Delhi without which nothing was moving.

"Till the time that was not paid, files could not be moved in the Environment Ministry. I have never experienced it myself as I never need it but we are shocked on this. What kind of systems have they developed," he said.

PTI