Beijing, January 18: On his first visit to Orissa after becoming the BJP president, Nitin Gadkari on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress, questioning the brand of secularism practised by both the parties.
“Secularism for Congress is appeasement of terrorists. Why is Afzal Guru not hanged despite order from the Supreme Court. What kind of secularism is this,” asked Gadkari while addressing a “Bhrastachar Hatao Samavesh” of nearly two lakh people here. The BJP president alleged that the minority appeasement policy of the Congress was responsible for the party’s inaction on Parliament attack issue.
Slamming Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his “every bone of my body is secular” statement, Gadkari asked why the killers of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati were not nabbed even after two-and-half years. “Is it because Saraswati belonged to the Hindu community?” he asked.
Gadkari said more then 10 lakh farmers had committed suicide in the past due to the Congress-led government’s poor economic policy at the Centre. He said the Congress leaders and workers had became richer, not the common man. “‘The government has Rs 70,000 crore to buy aircraft, but has no money to prevent farmers’ suicides,” he said.
Referring to various scams during the UPA rule, including those involving 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Housing Society, Gadkari said the year 1947 was known for India’s independence, but 2010 would be known as year of scams.
For the Orissa BJP, this was the first-ever rally involving a national leader after its drubbing in the 2009 Assembly polls. With the party rank feeling down and out, party leaders were banking on Gadkari’s rally to end the inertia among the cadres.
–Agencies–