Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 12: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi Attacking the opposition over a couple of viral videos showing some leaders eating non-vegetarian food during the “Chaitra Navratri” has evoked strong reaction from the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) who claimed that Mr Modi was raising non-issues in the elections to divert people’s attention from the burning issues his government had failed to address during the last 10 years.
The controversy erupted over a video of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav seen eating fish with Mr 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. His apparent reference was that the opposition leaders were showing consuming non-vegetarian food during the auspicious Navratri period was only an attempt to please the non-Hindu voters.
While the Congress said a “panicky” Prime Minister was providing a new example of his “sick mindset,” the RJD said Mr Modi’s comments betrayed his “nervousness” over the upcoming polls, which would explain why he has “started raking up sensitive, religious and emotional issues.”
The PM’s comments were seen as an attack on two videos, one in September of Lalu Yadav and Rahul Gandhi seen cooking mutton, and the other from earlier this week, of Tejashwi having fish. “Whom you were trying to appease by hurting the sentiments of someone by circulating the video of mutton preparation during the month of Sawan,” Modi said in Udhampur. “I know that these people will now come after me and hurl abuses, but when things go out of control, it becomes my duty to apprise people about these things.”
Mr Modi said: “I don’t have a problem with whatever one eats, but I oppose those who instigate beliefs. They eat non-vegetarian food during Navratri and tease people by showing the video. By showing videos of non-vegetarian food during Navratri, by hurting the sentiments of people, who are they trying to please?” Opposition parties have “a Mughal mindset,” he alleged.
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 were being posted during periods considered auspicious by Hindus to tease and annoy most of India’s population.
Tejashwi Yadav, who had earlier 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 was limited to what people are eating and wearing because its governments have not done anything for the people.
Attacking the opposition, Mr Modi said “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 Navratri 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.
Speaking at a rally on Friday, Tejashwi Yadav reacted to the PM’s remarks without naming him and said instead of talking about the issues that matter, the BJP was 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.
Shortly after, Tejashwi told reporters, “Key issues like poverty, unemployment, jobs need to be discussed. Why hasn’t poverty been eradicated? Why was Bihar not given special status?” He had earlier said the video was from April 8, before Navratri began.
Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh also reacted to Modi’s comments: “Unlike the Prime Minister, we have not tracked which leader ate what in which month. Here are the nutrition data points that we are tracking instead. Anaemia is caused by several factors, including iron deficiency, inadequate diet, and other nutrient deficiencies. Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, anaemia in children under 5 increased by nearly 10 percentage points. Among women aged 15 to 19, the prevalence of anaemia increased by 9.2%. In the PM’s home state of Gujarat, a shocking eight out of ten children under five were found to be anaemic.”
Further, he claimed that a Rs 4,000 crore scheme to include breakfast for school going children in the mid-may meal programme was vetoed by the Finance Ministry due to a lack of funds.
“The Global Health Indicator report shows India’s child wasting rate at 18.7%, the highest among countries on its index. The child stunting rate is 35.5%, the 15th highest in the world. Malnutrition remains widespread under the Modi sarkar, and has even gotten worse according to several data indicators,” he said.
“Every day the Prime Minister provides us with a new example of his sick mindset. The Prime Minister’s non-stop politicking is infantile and tiresome. A week before the first phase of polls, the BJP has barely put together a manifesto committee. Meanwhile, the Congress has published its manifesto, launched its door-to-door campaign to distribute our Guarantee Cards to every household, and started its advertisement campaign. We are setting the agenda and taking our message to the masses. A panicky Prime Minister is trying to find a new diversion every day,” Ramesh said.
RJD spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said, “We condemn the PM’s statement, especially the use of language for our leader Lalu Prasad ji. The PM himself agreed that no law or religious text would dictate one’s choice of food. But his comments show he is nervous at the very start of the election campaign. He has perhaps seen the writings on the wall.”
At the Udhampur rally, the Prime Minister also focussed on the promise to restore Statehood and hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, though he did not offer any concrete timeline for the restoration of Statehood. Instead, he extolled the positive impact of the abrogation of Article 370 and targeted the Opposition INDIA bloc.
“The time is not far for the Assembly elections and restoration of Statehood to J&K. People will soon have their Ministers and legislators. It’s through them that people will fulfil their desires and dreams and walk on a new path of development,” he said. This was the first time after August 2019 when the Article 370 was abrogated that he has referred to the restoration of Statehood.
His statement comes at a time when Jammu voters, especially in Hindu-majority areas, have started growing resentful of the downgrading of J&K into a Union Territory and the failure of the government to hold Assembly elections. Congress leader Chaudhary Lal Singh has already started tapping into this growing anger in a bid to defeat the BJP’s Jitendra Singh, who is canvassing for re-election from the seat.
Challenging the Opposition parties, especially the Congress, to announce the restoration of Article 370, the Prime Minister said: “Terrorism, separatism and stone throwing are no more election issues in J&K. The people of the country will not look towards the Congress if they talk of bringing back Article 370.”
Without naming the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Modi accused J&K’s regional parties of “creating a barrier of Article 370 between J&K and the rest of the country.” “Political parties here want to take J&K back to the old days when politics and elections for them meant ‘of the party, by the party, and for the party.’ But the Modi government has demolished this barrier,” he said.
Extolling the positive impacts of the abrogation of Article 370, the PM underlined that women, Dalits, and Valmikis now have their rights ensured in the Constitution. He said his government had also “tightened the noose around terrorists and separatists.” He added: “Conducting the Vaishno Devi and Amarnath yatra peacefully used to be a big task. But not now.”
Mr Modi promised to take J&K to new heights of development. “J&K, in the last 10 years, just witnessed a trailer. Real development will take place in the coming years,” the PM added. He vowed that J&K would soon be known for both startup companies and the tourism industry. “This election is to form a strong government in the country. When the government is strong, it shows its performance by challenging the challenges on the ground even amidst challenges,” he added.