PM quoted from Bible because polls are around: Priyanka Gandhi in Kerala

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said that the Prime Minister during his recent election campaign in Kerala kept mum on the harassment of Kerala nuns on a train in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi last week and instead made a Biblical reference.

Addressing a public rally here today, the Congress leader said, "Yesterday, PM Modi quoted from the Bible. I suppose it is because polls are around the corner, but I didn't hear him say a single word about sisters who were harassed in Jhansi when goons from his party's youth wing asked them about their religion."

Her remarks came after PM Modi in his March 30 election rally said, "Judas had betrayed Lord Christ for a few pieces of silver, just like that Left Democratic Front government has betrayed Kerala for a few pieces of gold."

Terming the Prime Minister's speech "hollow" Priyanka said, "I would like to quote the Bible for the Prime Minister today, 'Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment'. It would be better for him to heed the words of the Bible rather than use them lightly in his hollow speeches."

Her statement came days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to take action against Bajrang Dal members and police officers of Jhansi who allegedly harassed four nuns while they were traveling, by train from New Delhi to Rourkela in Odisha.

Vijayan had said that the nuns were forcefully removed from the train by the Jhansi Police without the presence of women police officials and kept them at the police station till late night after stating that the Aadhar ID cards produced by the nuns were fake.

Reacting sharply to former Left-supported Kerala MP Joyce George for his derogatory remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the party general secretary said, "Two days ago an LDF leader made a sexist remark about women...It was beginning to sound to me like CPM was taking campaign lessons from CMs of Uttarakhand and UP. I want to tell them, "You don't tell us what to wear and whom to love."

George at a rally in Erattayar on March 29 had said, "Rahul Gandhi's programs are held only in women's colleges. He goes there and teaches girls how to stand straight, how to bend. Don't go near him and do such things, he isn't married."

She further added that Congress is a people-based party and its politics has been about people, right from the day of its inception, adding that it was the Congress that gave the call for Kerala to be united in 1921.

Elections for the 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

( With inputs from ANI )