'Why do you have so much hatred for beautiful, holy name of India?' Siddaramaiah asks PM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday (July 26) took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mocking the name of INDIA – the name of the Opposition alliance – and asked why he harboured ‘so much hatred for the beautiful, melodious and holy name of India’?

Modi on Tuesday had compared the name of the Opposition alliance INDIA to reviled names such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen.

Siddaramaiah pointed out that Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who looted hundreds of crores of tax money of Indians and ran away from the country, too have his Modi surname. And so, he wondered whether they can be compared to him.

“Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi, you have compared the alliance of Opposition parties INDIA to the East India Company and the Indian Mujahideen. Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who looted hundreds of crores of tax money of Indians and ran away from the country, too have your Modi surname ? Can they be compared with you?” Siddaramaiah asked in a tweet.

Noting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sued for defamation, sentenced to two years in jail, and disqualified from the Lok Sabha for asking the common question stating that Lalit and Nirav too have Modi in their names, he asked, “Doesn’t action taken against Rahul Gandhi apply to you, for your comparison comparing India to East India Company and Indian Mujahideen?”

Also read: ‘Call us whatever you want Mr Modi. We will…’: Rahul Gandhi hits back at Modi

Modi on Tuesday had slammed the Opposition alliance INDIA as the most ‘directionless’ the country had ever seen, and had given the example of reviled names such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen to assert that people cannot be misled merely by the use of the country’s name.

After 26 Opposition parties rallied around the name INDIA for their alliance to fight the BJP in the 2024 elections, the PM cited the history of several organisations, including some banned extremist and terror outfits which have used the country’s name. He panned the grouping as a collection of corrupt leaders and parties.

Siddaramaiah further asked, “Prime Minister @narendramodi why do you have so much hatred for the beautiful, melodious and holy name of India? Being so impatient with the name India, will you change the name of your own government programmes like Make in India, Start Up India, Skill India etc.?”