Modi hits out at Congress for insulting Narasimha Rao

Nizamabad, April 22 (IANS) BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday lashed out at the Congress for what he described its arrogance of power by insulting Telugu sons of soil, including former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Addressing an election meeting in this town in Telangana region, he narrated an incident of 1982 when the then Congress general secretary Rajiv Gandhi allegedly insulted then Andhra Pradesh chief minister T. Anjaiah.

"The father of Rahul (Gandhi) had insulted the Dalit son at the Hyderabad airport. He abused him, angering the entire Andhra. After this, they lost Andhra," Modi said in a reference to the formation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by N.T. Rama Rao over the issue of Telugu self-respect.

Modi also accused the Congress of insulting former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who also hailed from Telangana.

"Narasimha Rao devoted his entire life to the Congress but this mother and son (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) were not happy when he became prime minister. You may not have heard them taking his name. This mother and son harassed him even after he ceased to be prime minister," Modi said at another meeting at Karimnagar, the native district of Narasimha Rao.

"Even after Narasimha Rao's death, they never visited his samadhi (memorial) on his birth or death anniversary. The country recognises his services but no state has his memorial," he said.