The statement was made by the prime minister's Communications Adviser Pankaj Pachauri yesterday to counter the damaging claims made by Baru, the former media adviser to Singh.
Modi said it would have been more appropriate if the PMO had issued a statement on what the Prime Minister had done for the poor and the common man.
“Have the PMO's office ever announced what they have done for the Koch Rajbongshis or the tribals and adivasis of Assam? No they have not because they do not give you any importance or are concerned about you. They only remember you when elections come. Now it is your turn to forget them,” he told the gathering.
Accusing Sonia and Rahul of spreading lies about Gujarat, Modi said rubbished claims by them that small-scale industries are closing down in his state.
“The Congress has been cheating you. When they need your votes, the mother and the son comes to the fore but stay behind the curtains when running the government,” he said.
Charging the Congress with indulging in ‘vote-bank politics', he said it was due to it that Bangladeshis are given importance in Assam while Hindu Bengalis, who had to flee that country following atrocities are ‘neglected'.
“Why are Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh not given the right to be Indians? Why are they still D(doubtful) voters in the country and are forced to stay in camps. Is this not injustice?”
Referring to BJP's stand on the issue, Modi said, “We do not hide our policies. We do not believe in vote-bank politics where our own are tortured and foreigners are welcomed with open arms. They (Hindu Bengali immigrants) must be given their due respect so that they can be proud Indians.”
