‘Never said I know everything’: Modi on Rahul’s Hindu remark

Does Rajasthan want to vote on issues of road, water and electricity or on whether Modi has the knowledge of Hinduism? NARENDRA MODI, PM

JAIPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit back at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying the PM’S knowledge of Hinduism was not an election issue in Rajasthan and that the Congress was busy trying to rake up religion rather than talk about development in its election campaign.

Speaking at an election rally in Jodhpur, Modi said “a naamdar (dynast)” appeared to be claiming to know all about Hinduism when even saints don’t make such an argument because of the vast knowledge and heritage associated with Hinduism.

“Only naamdar can claim that, but not a small kaamdar [worker] like me,” Modi said at the rally without naming Gandhi.

Two days ago, Gandhi said in Udaipur that the “Prime Minister says he is a Hindu, but he doesn’t understand [the] foundation of Hinduism. What kind of a Hindu is he?”

Reacting to the Congress leader’s comment, Modi asked at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) event: “Does Rajasthan want to vote on issues of road, water and electricity or on whether Modi has the knowledge of Hinduism?”

He said though the opposition party appeared to be carrying the flag of Hinduism nowadays, the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) told the Supreme Court in a written submission that “Lord Rama was a fictional character and there was no historical proof that he existed”.

Continuing with his attack on the Nehru-gandhi family, Modi said the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, did nothing for the restoration of Somnath temple but objected to the then president Rajendra Prasad’s visit to the shrine after it got reconstructed by Sardar Patel.