Central agencies indulging in witch-hunting: Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Monday launched a blistering attack on Congress accusing it of misusing CBI and other agencies for "witch-hunting" political rivals and asserting he would not be cowed down by such threats.

He also said there was "crisis of confidence" in the country and even Congress' allies were disenchanted and wanted to quit UPA.

"The government in Delhi wants to stop our march to power. They have fielded the CBI to threaten us. CBI can silence Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati but not me," he told BJP supporters at the airport in Mumbai.

"They (the Centre) have been trying to instill fear of CBI (in me) every now and then. I will never be cowed down by CBI, IB, RAW or any agency in the world," the Gujarat Chief Minister said amid chants of "Modi! Modi!".

Later, addressing a gathering at Bharat Diamond Bourse, he trashed the Congress-led UPA government as the "most ineffective" in the country's history with control over "only the CBI and tax department".

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"The government has lost control over everything. The only area it has control over is CBI and to some extent Income Tax department," Modi who was weighed against silver at the function said.

"Tonight they will watch video of this event. Who shook hands with me, who garlanded me...they will be on Income Tax department's radar. Does a government function with such vendetta? But Modi is made of different stuff. I am made of the soil from which Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi were made," he said.

"There is a crisis of confidence in the country. Nobody trusts anybody. There are several partners in the UPA including one from Maharashtra. Ask them are they happy and they will tell you in private they are not. They are only thinking when to quit, how to quit," he said.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde were present at the function but only Modi spoke.

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"Our prime minister met Nawaz Sharif in America yesterday. Later, at the Government of India's press conference, words reflecting his courage and spirit were served to the nation. Do you trust these words?" Modi asked as the crowd responded with a resounding "No".

Though the function was meant for inauguration of Mumbai Diamond Merchants Association's "Diamond Hall" and supposed to be attended by traders, the event had the mood of a political rally with continual chants of "Modi! Modi!" from the gathering.

Modi said, "There is an unprecedented crisis of confidence. A mother does not know if her daughter will reach home safely...a father is unsure if his son will be able to lead a good life despite studying hard."

Referring to the nuclear test during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, he said, "That one confidence-filled decision made the world sit up and take notice. India's voice began being heard, nation felt a new confidence."

"Today, the government in Delhi has failed to keep the country with it. Never a politician has been criticised as much as me but people never abandoned me. Did I fulfil all their wishes? No, there must have been shortcomings, but people never doubted my intentions," he said.

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Modi, who has faced criticism for the 2002 Gujarat riots, said, "The character of politics has changed but some leaders are still living in 1970s and 1980s. They don't realise that the youth will not ingest the poison of casteism and communalism any more. They understand only one language, the language of development."

Referring to the proposed "Statue of Unity" of Sardar Patel near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada river, Modi, considered a polarising figure, said, "It will serve as a symbol of national unity."

"I have asked BJP workers to collect iron from tools of farmers from across the country as I want to emotionally unite the nation," he said.

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