NEW DELHI – Four-week long election in India enters the fourth phase, and now BJP campaign is becoming more divisive. Amid the election fever in the country of over 1.40 billion people, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi fired salvo at the opposition and Pakistan.
Modi’s shocking remarks at a campaign rally garnered attention as the firebrand politician was peddling anti-Pakistan tropes to lure Hinutva-inspired voters.
Indian PM criticized the opposition bloc during an election rally in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. He called opposition leaders cowards who according to him are afraid of Pakistan’s nuclear assets.
He further accused the opposition of sympathizing with neighboring country on militancy issues and questioning the effectiveness of surgical strikes. He questioned whether such leaders could run the country, suggesting that they have taken money to speak against India and are so afraid that they see Pakistan’s atom bombs even in their dreams.
Sharing his thoughts on the opposition’s comments about Pakistan not wearing bangles, Modi said, “We will make them (Pakistani leaders) wear bangles,” implying that the opposition is weak and incapable.
Last month, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said Pakistan is a respected nation that also possesses an atom bomb, urging authorities to enter dialogue with them.
