New Delhi: With the assembly elections round the corner, Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi stepped up the attack on the Congress party and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blaming them for not standing up to China. But even as the Gujarat strongman continued his attack on the ruling party, he also committed a faux paus referring freedom fighter Shyamaji Krishna Varma as Shyama Prasad Mookherjee.
While slamming the Congress party for sheer disregard to freedom fighters, Modi said: "Who is playing with India's history? Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was a revolutionist. He died in 1930 in London. His last wish was that his ashes should be brought to India after Independence."
"Jawaharlal Nehru should have sent an emissary to bring the ashes back. Congress government didn't get them back till 2003. It was I who got the ashes back to India in 2003," added Modi. Realising the goof-up, the Gujarat Chief Minister later apologised for the comment. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, who founded the Jan Sangh which later became the BJP, died on June 23, 1953.
Modi, who made the comment at the inauguration event of a multi-speciality hospital run by Muslims, however, did not leave any stone unturned to slam the Prime Minister on various issues including Chinese provocations, price rise and corruption. "A part of India which went to China happened during your government and that of your predecessors. It would have been good if the Prime Minister had said something about price rise, corruption but he rather chose to speak on History and Geography," said Modi.
He also took a dig at the Prime Minister and the Congress for serving just one family. He said, "Due to bhakti of one family, many names have not reached future generations due to you. Jawaharlal Nehru got the Bharat Ratna when he was alive, Indira Gandhi she got it when she was alive. But Dr. Ambedkar got it after so many years after his death. Sardar Patel was awarded Bharat Ratna 41 years after his death."
He said that while former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi received Bharat Ratna in 1955 and 1971 respectively, Dr BR Ambedkar, who was Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee received Bharat Ratna only in 1990 and former home ministet Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel recieved the award in 1991, about 41 year after his death.
Modi also cited the example of former president Abdul Kalam Azad, a Congressmen, to point out that the Congress did not give due recognition to its own people.
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