Chiding the Congress and its leaders for feeling “uneasiness” about patriotism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked them to learn it at least from the Mudhol hound dogs of north Karnataka, which have been inducted into the Indian Army.
The prime minister said there had been such a fall in the party that a Congress leader went to be amid those raising slogans like “Bharat ke tukde honge”, giving them blessings.
He was apparently referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Jawharlal Nehru University campus to be with a section of students during the controversy over anti-national slogans being allegedly chanted at the campus.
“When there is discussion about patriotism in our country, when there is a discussion about rashtra bhakti, raashtra geet, Vande mataram, some people are worried,” said
Modi at an election rally in Karnataka’s Jamkhandi.
Modi said the country won freedom because of patriotism, and “today if we have started a great campaign of development on the basis of patriotism, Congress and its companions feel a foul smell in patriotism... their health gets upset smelling patriotism.”
“Did anyone think that after Independence Congress has fallen to an extent that today Congress leaders are going to be amidst those who shout slogans like “Bharat ke tukde honge” and are giving them their blessings,” he said.
Modi also said the Congress and its leaders had ‘fallen’ to such an extent that when the Indian Army carried out a cross-border surgical strike, they asked for evidence.
“Those who felt uneasiness at the mention of patriotism, those who are averse to the talk about patriotism and for those patriotism is the reason for trouble, I want to tell them if you don’t want to learn from others, please don’t -- whether it is your ancestors or Mahatma Gandhi’s Congress.
At least try to learn from Bagalkote’s Mudhol dogs, he said pointing to the induction of these dogs into the Indian Army.
“I know that their (Congress’s) arrogance has reached cloud seven. The people of the country have negated them, but they are still not ready to come on ground. So I don’t expect them to even learn anything from Mudhol dogs,” Modi said.
Mudhol Hound, also known as Caravan Hound, is an Indian dog breed which gets its name from Mudhol in Bagalkot district in north Karnataka.
The lean and lanky Mudhol Hound is the first Indian breed to serve the Indian Army.
