Refusal to Wear Skull Cap Shows Modi's Bias against Muslims

BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi is sending an "unmistakable signal" of his "bias and bigotry" against Muslims to the nation by consistently refusing to wear a skull cap, Congress charged today.           

"It's not as simple that he did not wear a skull cap. That is the only headgear he refuses to wear. He wore all kinds of outlandish headgears including one with a dead bird of an endangered specy. He wore the headgear of Nagaland, turban and saafa.         

"By not wearing the skull cap, he is sending an unmistakable signal to his hardcore supporters that he will not cater to the needs of this community. He never misses an opportunity to signal his bias and bigotry to the nation," party spokesperson Shashi Tharoor told reporters.   

The Congress spokeseperson also pointed out that Modi's frequent reference to Rahul Gandhi as "Shehjade", "burqa of secularism" and calling Ahmed Patel as "Miyan Ahmed Patel" are also meant to send this signal about his "very narrow, bigoted framework" of thinking.     

He said if Modi wanted to describe Rahul Gandhi as prince, he could have also used the word "Rajkumar" but he uses a word which seeks to identify a particular community as target.           

"Through such things, he wants to give the signal that he will not do anything for minorities. There is a subtext in all remarks of Modi. Modi is signalling that he does not respect the headgear of a community," he said.       

His comments came on a day when the BJP's PM candidate insisted that he was prepared to "face defeat" but would not practice politics of identity.

The Congress spokesperson also rejected the demand of BJP leader Amit Shah for an inquiry into allegations linking Congress candidate Ajay Rai from Varnasi to illegal gun trade. Rai is pitted against Modi in Varanasi. "I want to ask Congress that a few days back, attributing to secret reports, a news channel said that Ajay Rai’s name was linked to AK 47 trade. I demand an inquiry into it," Shah had said.      

Tharoor said "what is the credibility of the person who is levelling such allegations? How many charges of wrong doings are against he himself? Anybody can make any allegations."   Tharoor also sought to puncture the development claims of the Gujarat Chief Minister and alleged widespread malnutrution among children in Gujarat and the state lagging behind many states including those where Congress is in power in development indices. He also said while Modi is wooing Dalit voters, 27,000 posts reserved for them are vacant.        

Claiming that 65 percent of population Gujarat go to defecate in the open, Tharoor said "please do not impose the Guajrat model of development on the country because the vast majority of India treats the poor, the SC/STs much better than Modi could do in Gujarat."