With Assembly election dates in fives states drawing closer, barbs have started flying thick and fast and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have taken a lead. Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam on Saturday, BJP president Amit Shah mocked former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Taking a dig at Manmohan Singh for slamming PM Narendra Modi over his frequent foreign tours, Amit Shah said that the former PM had actually taken more international trips than Modi.
Shah said that the former PM used to read from papers handed over to him by 'madam', a reference to then Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
"Mauni Baba Manmohan Singhji had made more trips abroad. When Manmohanji travelled abroad, he used to carry papers given by madam, read them out and come back. At times, he used to read the page supposed to be read in Malaysia, in Thailand and the page meant for Thailand, in Malaysia," the BJP chief quipped.
Amit Shah said PM Modi's popularity in foreign countries can be gauged by the crowd which gathers to listen to him.
"When Modi travels to a foreign country, thousands of people come to greet him and chant slogans. These slogans are not for Modi or the BJP, but out of respect for 125 crore Indians," Shah said.
Amit Shah once again described infiltrators as 'termites' and promised to drive them out of the country.
"(Former prime minister) Lal Bahadur Shastri had given the slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. While you (farmers) feed the people, they (soldiers) guard our borders. But infiltrators are like termites who eat away at the country's security. They need to be removed," Shah said.
"We will drive out each and every infiltrator. The BJP will not allow a single infiltrator to stay. For us, vote bank is not important, the country's security is," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
