Belagavi, April 28: Tearing into Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark that "Rajas and Maharajas used to take away lands", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Wayanad MP doesn't speak a word on the atrocities committed by the "Nawabs, Nizams, Sultans, and Badhshahs", adding that the statement was intended at appeasing a certain 'vote bank'.

Addressing a mega public meeting at Belagavi in Congress-ruled Karnataka on Sunday, PM Modi said, "The Shehzada of the Congress said recently that our Rajas and Maharajas back in the day were ruthless. They snatched or took away the humble assets of the poor at their whim. The Shehzada insulted the revered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rani Chennamma, whose good governance and patriotism still fill us with national pride and honour. Does he not have any knowledge of the contribution of the royal family of Mysuru who we all regard very highly and are proud of?" PM Modi in Karnataka: Brother-Sister Want To Take Away Property and Mangalsutra for Their Vote Bank, Won’t Allow It, Says Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Belagavi.

PM Modi Rips Into Rahul Gandhi Over ‘Raja, Maharaja’ Remark

Claiming that the Congress leader was silent on the excesses and atrocities committed by Muslim emperors on their peasants, he added, "The Shehzada's was carefully calibrated, on purpose, to appease a certain vote bank. He did not utter a single word on the atrocities committed by the Nawabs, Nizams, Sultans, and Badhshahs (on their peasants). The Congress seems to have forgotten the grave excesses perpetrated by (Mughal emperor) Aurangzeb, who destroyed thousands of our temples."

Invoking the glorious legacies of the Hindu rulers and emperors, PM Modi said all that Rahul cares about is his 'vote bank'. "The Benaras Hindu Unversity (BHU) could not have been established without the help of the king, who ruled the city back in the day. Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda had helped Baba Saheb Ambedkar pursue his higher studies abroad. The Congress' Shehzada knows nothing about this and is making public statements that are aimed at advancing the party's vote bank politics. The Congress is in an alliance with parties that glorify Aurangzeb. They don't talk about kings who destroyed our pilgrimage sites, looted them, killed our people while also slaughtering livestock," PM Modi said.  PM Modi Letter to Nation: PM Narendra Modi Urge Citizens to Share Feedback to Shape India’s Future as ‘Viksit Bharat’.

Earlier, addressing a public meeting in the state, Rahul said, "Many Rajas, Maharajas ruled us back in the day. They did whatever they wished and took away the land of their peasants at will. It was the Congress and its workers who, along with freedom fighters, brought us independence from our oppressors and restored democracy and the rule of law to the country."

Also taking aim at the ruling Congress over the prevailing law and order situation in the state, PM Modi said, "Since the Congress came to power in Karnataka, the law and order situation in the state has been on a free-fall. The incident in Hubballi (the daylight murder of a sitting Congress corporator's daughter) shook the country's conscience. When the bereaved family sought action, the ruling Congress, yet again, preferred appeasement over justice. They do not value the lives of our daughters like Neha (Hiremath). All they care about is their vote bank."

Neha (23), the daughter of Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on April 18. The accused, Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled the scene after the stabbing attack, was subsequently arrested. Neha was a first-year MCA student and the assailant, Fayaz, was her former classmate.