Kartarpur went to Pak because of Cong leaders' lack of vision: Modi

Stepping up his attack against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday alleged Kartarpur went to Pakistan at the time of independence because the party leaders of that time had no vision and did not respect Sikh sentiments.

Referring to the recent opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor across the India-Pakistan border, Modi said, "Correcting Congress's mistakes was my destiny."

As electioneering for December 7 assembly polls in Rajasthan nears its end, the prime minister addressed rallies in Hanumangarh, Sikar and Jaipur.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also held a series of public meetings in the state.

At one rally, Modi took on Gandhi for mocking him for chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai' at every meeting. The prime minister said he will continue to do so despite Gandhi's ‘fatwa' on it.

Gandhi had taunted in Alwar that Modi should begin his meetings by saying 'Anil Ambani ki Jai', 'Mehul Choksi ki Jai', 'Nirav Modi ki Jai' and 'Lalit Modi ki Jai'.

Modi suggested that the Congress leadership had bungled during Partition.

"They could not see anything beyond the 'Rajgaddi' (power), so Kartarpur went to Pakistan,” he said.

"The then policy makers of the Congress in the country were in a hurry to come to power. Partition happened and in that too several mistakes were made because of which Kartarpur Sahib went to Pakistan," he said.

"A little bit of wisdom and sensitivity at that time would have ensured that Kartarpur, which is just 3 km away (from India), would not have been taken away from us.

“It was their lack of vision and sensitivity that they did not respect the sentiments of the Sikh community," Modi claimed.

He said the Congress was in power ‘for 70 years’, during which the country fought and won wars, but it could not make an arrangement for prayers to be offered at Kartarpur Sahib.

"It is my destiny to correct their mistakes. Its credit goes to your one vote and not to Modi. Don't underestimate the value of your vote," he said.

The planned Kartarpur corridor will connect a Gurdwara in India's Gurdaspur to Kartarpur Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev.

Modi said that people of the country have elected a prime minister who lives for the people, remains awake for the people and bows to the people.

He indirectly referred to a land deal in Rajasthan, and the allegation that a company linked to Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra made money out of it.

He said he will bring those who looted the country to justice.

“I have eliminated corruption at the top level and I have the power to eliminate it from the system, and I will make it happen,” he said.

On the 2016 surgical strike across the Line of Control, he said terrorists used to enter army camps without any fear and kill soldiers during the previous governments, but India had now given a befitting reply.

"The Army showed the courage and its strength," he said.

Modi said his government wants to make farmers ‘energy givers’ and asked them to install solar panels, use drip irrigation and other modern methods of farming.

“The naamdar does not know the difference between red and green chillies," he said, hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, whom he often refers to as a ‘naamdar’ (dynast).

"I am saying this with conviction that had a farmer's child been India's first prime minister, had Sardar Patel been the first prime minister, farmers would not have been in distress today. It is due to the 70 years of sins committed by four generations of one family," he said.

Attacking the Congress over its farm loan waiver promises, the prime minister said its leaders talk about farmers' issues only when elections are near.

He said Congress leaders tell lies to deceive gullible farmers because of their greed for power.

"The CAG report found huge fraud in loan waiver done during the Congress regime. The people who got the benefits were not farmers," he said.

Modi said the Congress leaders sitting in air-conditioned rooms are misleading people by devising strategies to oust the BJP from power, but they should come to Rajasthan and see the ground situation instead.

He said the Congress gave tickets to family members of those lodged in jail in rape cases and women should not vote for that party.

He was apparently referring to Mahipal Maderna, who was the minister in Ashok Gehlot cabinet, and former MLA Malkhan Bishnoi.

They are facing trial in the notorious Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case in Jodhpur.
The Congress has given ticket to Maderna's daughter Divya Maderna from Osian and Bishnoi's son Mahendra Bishnoi from Luni seat in Jodhpur in the upcoming state polls.

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Rahul says 'chowkidar' made a judge his 'court-puppet'

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over ex-Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph's claim about alleged interference in administration of justice by the apex court, alleging that the 'chowkidar' had made a judge his 'court-puppet'.

Gandhi further said it was the bad luck of the 'chowkidar' (watchman), a term he often uses for Modi, that there was no dearth of honest judges who do not allow 'arrogance of power to prevail over truth'.

The Congress president's attack follows a sensational claim made by the recently retired judge Joseph that the previous Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra was 'remote-controlled by an external source'.

Justice Joseph, however, did not elaborate on who the "external source" was and which were the cases in which administration of justice was affected.

There was no immediate reaction from the government or the BJP, while Misra has also not reacted to the allegation.

'The chowkidaar had made a Supreme Court judge his 'court-putli' (court-puppet),' Gandhi tweeted.

"It's chowkidar's bad luck that there is no dearth of honest judges in the country for whom truth is always bigger than power and who do not allow arrogance of power to prevail over truth. The country is proud of such judges," Gandhi added.

Joseph was among the four senior judges of the apex court who had staged an open revolt against justice Misra by convening an unprecedented press conference on January 12 to flag their concerns about preferential allocation of sensitive cases to judges low down on the top court's hierarchy.

Justices J Chelameswar, who has since retired, Ranjan Gogoi, the current Chief Justice and Madan Lokur were the other judges.

The Congress had on Monday said Justice Joseph's remarks proved its allegations against the government of interference in the highest levels of judiciary, and demanded separate parliamentary and judicial inquiries into the matter.