PM Modi tears into Congress over tweets by its 'leader' Salman Nizami: Top quotes

Lunawada/Bodeli: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday latched on to tweets by one Salman Nizami who, he said, was a Congress leader to tear into the Opposition party for allegedly questioning his parentage.

In a stinging attack on the Congress after former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech aadmi" (lowly sort of a person) remark, he said a leader from the Opposition party, who, he claimed, is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, has sought to know who is his father and mother.

At an election rally at Lunawada, the PM said India was his father and mother, and like a good son, he will spend his entire life serving the country.

Following are his top quotes:

- There is one Congress youth leader called Salman Nizami, who is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat. He said on Twitter that Rahul Gandhi's father (Rajiv Gandhi) and grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had sacrificed their lives, while his great-grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) was a freedom fighter. Okay, very good, we do not have a problem with that. Then he (a reference to Nizami) went on to ask that Modi should answer who is his father and mother.

- Do we use this language in public discourse? Do we ask such things, this Salman Nizami is their star campaigner? What else has he tweeted, he is from Kashmir and he says he wants Aazad Kashmir. He called Indian armed forces rapists.

- That person has further said in his tweets that 'ghar ghar se Afzal niklega'. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death by our courts and this man wants every home to produce Afzal. Do you want Afzal in every home? Can you allow Afzals in Gujarat?

- The person who has spoken such things is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi. Should we forgive such people? Is this not an insult to our armed forces. To call our armed forces rapist is not their insult? Should we forgive such people?

- I want to tell those who are asking who is my father and who is my mother... India is my father and India is also my mother. I, the son of Bharat Mata, will serve my motherland till the last breath of my life.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday said that the party worker PM Modi cited to attack the party, does not hold any position in the party while hitting out for Modi for moving away from "real issues".

Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters that Nizami doesn`t hold any position in the party.

"Salman Nizami that you are naming, we have not even heard the name. He holds no post in the party, we don`t know who he is. Maybe they (BJP) got a name from somewhere. If we start speaking like this, we can name anyone and call the person a BJP worker. They (BJP) have nothing more to say in Gujarat, they have no other subject. Who is Nizami, is he your (BJP) man," he asked.

On the other hand, Nizami, said, "I had filed a police complaint in 2015 when my fake Twitter account was created. Five to six accounts in my name were created. I have never used such words."

"How can the Prime Minister quote from a fake Twitter account with authenticating it. Somebody may have hacked my account, who knows," Nizami told IANS.

"Today again a Kashmiri youth is being victimised. I have always raised my voice against terrorism. How can they call me Afzal Guru? It was a Congress government which executed Afzal Guru, and I support that party," he added.

Asked why the Congress says he is not its member, Nizami said, "Few of them are saying, but I have already given my version to them. They have not asked anything. If I am proven guilty, I should be hanged. I am very disappointed and hurt. I have always taken pr a -India stand." 

(With PTI inputs)