Acharya Pramod Krishnam, the Congress candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat, took a jibe at the BJP on Wednesday, saying the party had forgotten Ram. He also said it spoke more and acted less on Pakistan.
“They brought an ordinance on SC/ST (Act) and triple talaq but forgot Ram Mandir,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday, a day before he files his nomination on Thursday.
“Jo Ram ka na hua wo rashtra ka kya hoga (Those who did not stand by Lord Ram, how can they stand with the nation?)” he said.
Krishnam said the country wanted Pakistan to be attacked and “the entire nation is with you on this but instead of attacks, Modi does politics on Pakistan and also on Article 370.”
“In fact, for five years, they betrayed the countrymen in the name of cow, Ayodhya, Indo-Pak issues and tried to snub those who raised questions by labelling them as anti-nationals,” he said.
Krishnam, who was Congress’s candidate from Sambhal in the 2014 Lok Sabha, said the BJP failed to keep its promises. That was why for the past 20-days, Modi had stopped seeking votes for ‘Skill India,’ ‘Make in India’ or even demonetisation.
Asked about his candidature against SP candidate Poonam Sinha, wife of Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha, Krishnam said, “Parties contesting on 20-25 seats say they will stop Modi, but I would say post-election they stand with either the Congress or the BJP. Hence, they should decide before the election only. They really do not pose a challenge.”
“I do not need any one, but people of Lucknow to vote,” he replied to a query whether Shatrughan Sinha would campaign for him in Lucknow.
“I have travelled the entire country but never found a Muslim who supports Pakistan. They (BJP) see Pakistan among Indian Muslims and I see Hindustan in Muslims in Pakistan too,” said Krishnam.
Commenting on Rajnath Singh, the union home minister and BJP’s Lucknow candidate, he said, “We had hope from Rajnath, but he remained a mute spectator all these years and when he came to file his nomination, he only disturbed people. My nomination will be simple and will carry Priyanka’s message to people on the streets and in the lanes as I will walk with them to file my nomination.”
First Published: Apr 18, 2019 12:57 IST
