On Friday (12th February), Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the opposition’s ‘Mughal mindset’ for posting videos of consuming non-vegetarian cuisine in the month of ‘Saawan’ and during ‘Navratri’, when most Hindu families consume only vegetarian food. He said that people have the freedom to eat whatever they want, but the opposition leaders are posting visuals of eating non-veg food to hurt the feelings of people.
The prime minister went on to say that he is aware that his opponents will attack him with “goli-barood” (guns and ammunition) and abuse in response to this statement. However, he feels it’s his duty in a democracy to show people the real intentions of the opposition and the real side of the situation.
“Congress and the INDIA bloc do not care about the feelings of most Indians. They love playing with people’s feelings. One of their leaders visited an ally — who is a convict and is out on bail — to cook mutton during the month of ‘Saawan’. They also instigated the beliefs of Indians by shooting videos,” PM Modi said in Udhampur targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Twjaswi Yadav.
आपको जब नॉन-वेज खाना है खाओ, ना कानून रोकता है ना मोदी
— Ankur Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@iAnkurSingh) April 12, 2024
लेकिन कुछ लोगों की मंशा और होती है
नवरात्रि में नॉन-वेज की वीडियो दिखा-दिखा कर लोगों की भावना आहत करते हैं अपने वोट बैंक को खुश करने के लिए।
pic.twitter.com/TV93pRa6cJ
“The law doesn’t stop anyone from eating anything, and neither Modi does. All are free to have veg and non-veg whenever they want. However, the motives of these people (members of the INDIA bloc) are different. Their objective is similar to Mughals, who did not get satisfaction by just defeating the kings in India. They achieved contentment only when they destroyed temples,” the prime minister added.
PM Modi compared the mindset of opposition leaders to that of the Mughals, claiming that the INDIA bloc leaders are employing the same ideology, shooting videos, and inciting Indians. “And this is how they want to ensure their vote bank,” he went on to say.
The Prime Minister’s statement comes days after RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav posted a video on the internet amid Navratri on 9th April. In the video that went viral over the internet, Yadav could be seen eating fish meal in a chopper. “I was campaigning for the whole day and I’ve just got these 15 minutes to have lunch. So I am today having fish and roti for lunch. This is the best meal I have ever had,” he could be heard saying.
चुनावी भागदौड़ एवं व्यस्तता के बीच हेलिकॉप्टर में भोजन! दिनांक- 08/04/2024 #TejashwiYadav #bihari #politics #Bihar #biharifood #बिहार #india pic.twitter.com/JIfgbXfQpP
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 9, 2024
Several X (Twitter) users along with many BJP leaders slammed Yadav for consuming non-veg food during the festival of Navaratri.
Later Tejaswi Yadav posted a video eating an Orange and criticized the BJP for linking food to religion. He meanwhile also claimed that the video of the fish was captured on 8th April, a day before Navaratri but was ‘unfortunately’ posted on 9th April, the first day of the Hindu festival.
हैलो फ्रैंड्स,
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 10, 2024
आज हेलीकॉप्टर में नारंगी पार्टी हुई।
Orange के रंग से तो वो नहीं ना चिढ़ेंगे? #TejashwiYadav #Trending #Viral pic.twitter.com/FlhuyMhM6f
Last year, in the month of September, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav were seen cooking mutton dishes at the latter’s Delhi residence. The video of the same was posted by Gandhi on his YouTube channel. The act was executed, shot, and showcased on the social media platform during the month of ‘Sawan’. The BJP leaders then slammed the duo for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus by eating non-veg food during Sawan.
Oh, the theatrics of this Janeudhaari Brahmin.
— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) September 3, 2023
Rahul Gandhi meets Lalu Yadav on August 4th and suddenly, they're MasterChefs cooking mutton.
But they conveniently waited for Saawan to end before showing us their ‘culinary skills’. How's that for timing? pic.twitter.com/grXwMOGqhp
PM Modi during a rally in Udhampur also attacked the Congress over Lord Ram’s temple in Ayodhya. “Congress says Ram Mandir is an election issue for BJP. I want to say that Ram Mandir was never an election issue, nor will it ever become an election issue. The struggle for Ram temple was going on even before the birth of the BJP… When foreign invaders destroyed our temples, the people of India fought to save their religious places. The leaders of Congress and its allies lived in big bungalows but when it came to changing the tent of Ram Lalla, they used to turn their backs,” the PM said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to restore Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood. He stated that the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were not far away. “Modi thinks far ahead. So what has happened so far is just the trailer. I have to get busy creating a new and wonderful picture of the new Jammu and Kashmir. The time is not far when Assembly Elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir will get the status of statehood. You will be able to share your dreams with your MLA and your ministers,” he said.
General elections will be held in India from 19th April 2024 to 1st June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The polls will be held in seven phases and the results will be announced on 4th June 2024.
