Rajnath Singh seeks Cong stand on CPI M manifesto promise to dismantle nukes

     Kasaragod (Kerala), Apr 17 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Wednesday questioned the intention behind the CPI(M)'s poll manifesto promise to dismantle nuclear weapons in the country and demanded to know the stand of the Congress on this issue.
    Singh alleged talk of dismantling India's nuclear weapons amounted to playing with national security and that there was a "deep-rooted conspiracy to weaken the country".
    He accused the Left and the Congress, both allies in the anti-BJP INDIA bloc, of apparently trying to weaken the country.
    Speaking at a public meeting in Kasaragod Lok Sabha seat seeking votes for BJP candidate M L Ashwini, Singh demanded that the Congress should clarify its stand on the CPI(M)'s promise in the manifesto to dismantle nuclear weapons as it was the Indira Gandhi government which kicked off the country's nuclear programme in 1974.
    He said India worked hard to become one of the 11 nuclear power nations in the world and dismantling its nuclear weapons will weaken the country whose neighbours Pakistan and China are nuclear powers.
    The CPI(M) in its manifesto has said there will be "complete elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons."
    During his speech, he also said whoever in India has opposed Lord Ram has faced downfall, which is what has happened to the Congress and CPI(M).
    Singh alleged that both the parties, which are allies in the INDIA bloc, do not understand the importance of Lord Ram or the festival of Ram Navami.
    "Lord Ram and Indian culture unite the country from the south to the north. Lord Ram is our God and our cultural icon. But the Congress and the CPI(M) do not understand that. They have created hurdles in celebration of Ram Navami.
    "We all know that, in our nation's history, whosoever has ever opposed Lord Ram faced downfall in the country. That is what has happened to Congress and the CPI(M)," he alleged.

    Singh claimed that the Congress was opposed to the building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and "today look at its condition in the country."
    "The Left parties are there only in a few pockets in India," he added.
    He also claimed there was no difference in words and deeds of the BJP which was the most credible and trustworthy political party in the country.
    However, the words and deeds of the Congress and Communist parties were different and therefore, it resulted in a "crisis of credibility" in Indian politics, Singh claimed.
    He said this crisis was taken as a challenge by the BJP which has followed through on its poll promises made in the past.
    Singh said the NDA government has followed through with its past promises to abrogate Article 370, do away with triple talaq and build the Ram Temple during its 10-year rule.
    He said that if the BJP is voted to power again, then all of Modi's guarantees -- of India becoming a top world economy, welfare of farmers, making huge strides in the space sector and the development of the nation -- would be fulfilled.
    "We are also committed to implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the next five years," he asserted.
    Singh also raked up the Karuvannur Cooperative bank scam and the allegations of receipt of monthly payments by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter and her firm from a private company, to attack the Left government and promised an unbiased probe into both matters.
    He also attacked the LDF government for Kerala's economic crisis, alleging that it was caused solely due to the Left administration's financial mismanagement.

"Money being sent to Kerala for its development is being used to settle the state government's debts. Even the Supreme Court said that the state government is responsible for the financial crisis in Kerala," Singh claimed.
The BJP leader also reached out to rubber farmers and the Christian community in the state.
    He said the UDF and LDF will not do anything to resolve the problems being faced by rubber farmers in the state.
    "Only the BJP will be able to help the rubber farmers," he said.
    Singh alleged that the law and order situation was in shambles in the state as a Christian priest was attacked within church grounds, educational institutions were turning into centres of Communist workers, people were living in fear and those in power in the state were sleeping peacefully.
    He said that the BJP does politics not to form government, but for nation-building.
    The BJP leader urged the people of Kerala to oust the UDF and LDF from the state if they wanted the situation to improve.
    He alleged both fronts show a "dual character" of fighting with each other in Kerala, but outside it they are campaigning together.
    "They have harmed Kerala," he alleged.
    Singh also said that both the Congress and the Left have a backward and outdated thinking, while the people of Kerala are forward-thinking and progressive.
    Singh also expressed confidence that the BJP will win seats in double digits from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls.
    The Lok Sabha elections will be held in Kerala on April 26 and the results will be declared on June 4.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)