"They Want To Tease People": PM Vs Opposition On Non-Veg Food

The controversy over a video of Tejashwi Yadav eating fish snowballed on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hitting out at the RJD leader, his father Lalu Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming that they are exhibiting thoughts from the Mughal era. 

Accusing the opposition of indulging in the politics of appeasement and going after a particular vote bank, the Prime Minister also claimed that such videos are being posted during periods considered auspicious by Hindus to tease and annoy most of India's population. 

Tejashwi Yadav, who had clarified that the video was shot a day before Navratri began and was uploaded to "test the IQ of the BJP and Godi media followers", said the BJP's politics is limited to what people are eating and wearing because its governments have not done anything for the people. 

Addressing a rally at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir a week before the Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi referred to a video of Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav cooking mutton in September last year and said in Hindi, "Congress and other members of the INDIA alliance are not bothered about the feelings of most of the country's population. During Sawan (an auspicious month in the Hindu calendar), they are going to the house of a convicted man and cooking mutton. Not only that, they are also putting up videos and teasing the people of the country."

"The law does not stop anyone from eating anything, and neither does Modi, but their intention is different. When the Mughals attacked, they were not satisfied with defeating the king alone. They did not get satisfaction until they destroyed temples... they enjoyed doing this. In the same way, by uploading the video in the month of Sawan, they (the opposition) are exhibiting the thoughts of the Mughal era, attempting to tease people and fortify their vote bank," the PM alleged.

Training his guns on Tejashwi Yadav, without naming him, the PM said uploading a video of consuming non-vegetarian food during Navratra was also an attempt in the same direction. 

"Who are you trying to please by hurting the sentiments of people? I know these people will now shower abuses on me for saying this, but it is my duty in a democracy to tell people what is right when lines are crossed, and I am doing my duty. They do this deliberately to attack the country's beliefs, so that a big part of the country watches their videos and gets uncomfortable. They have gone beyond appeasement and are giving evidence of their Mughal-like thinking," the PM said. 

Repeating his charge of dynastic politics, the PM said the opposition does not know that when the people decide, princes ('yuvraj') from big royal families have to give up their thrones. The 'yuvraj' jibe has been used by the PM against Rahul Gandhi in the past as well. 

'Not Talking About Issues'

Speaking at a rally on Friday, Tejashwi Yadav reacted to the PM's remarks without naming him and said that, instead of talking about the issues that matter, the BJP is focusing on what people are eating and wearing. 

"They are not talking about the issues of Bihar, how they will stop migration from the state or what they will do in the next five years if they are voted to power. And what will they say? They have done nothing in 10 years (at the Centre) and 17 years (in Bihar)... They will keep talking about what people are wearing and eating, and centre their politics around it," he said.