Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial campaign speeches, viewing them as a ploy to distract the people by attempting to flare up communal tensions. Such strategies, he said, have been prompted by a fear of an electoral setback.
“The first round of elections has displayed that the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is on the back foot. The speeches of the BJP leaders are very alarmist. We know they have sensed something is wrong. This has led to talks about religion, Mandir-Masjid and Hindu-Muslim. The real core issues of the people matter and distracting them by talking about contentious and divisive issues will not yield any benefits,” he told media persons, while campaigning for Shashi Tharoor, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, here.
He was also critical of the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s stance in the issue and urged the body to act impartially to provide a level-playing field for all parties.
