No irresponsible statements please, says Narendra Modi after Togadia controversy

TIR, Gandhinagar, 2 April 2014: The BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, today said that he disapproved of any of the irresponsible statement by those who claim to be the well wishers of the BJP. Without even naming the VHP President, Pravin Togadia or Giriraj Singh, Modi tweeted expressing his disappointment. Togadia and Singh’s remarks were indeed controversial and they have embarrassed the BJP amidst the national elections.

Narendra Modi condemned the hate-speeches and irresponsible statements. He rather appealed to the people to kindly refrain from doing so.

Modi tweeted that “Petty statements by those claiming to be BJP’s well-wishers are deviating the campaign from the issues of development & good governance (sic).”

Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, took no names. However this appeared to be his first response to a massive controversy over the hate remarks by Pravin Togadia or Giriraj Singh.

An FIR has been registered against the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) President over the report by the Times of India where he was seen on camera, informing a gathering on how to prevent Muslims from buying property in areas where Hindus are in the majority. “We should have it in us to take the law in our own hands in an area where we are a majority and scare them,” he was heard saying. The Gujarat police have filed a case.

Narendra Modi has ruled over Gujarat, by serving as a Chief minister of the state ever since 2001. His relationship with Togadia has been long however, it has been seen that Togadia has often been sidelined. The two leaders, who rode together to meetings in the 1980s, reportedly fell out after Mr Modi’s second term as chief minister, when he started distancing himself from a radical Hindu agenda.

Togadia’s remarks have left the BJP wincing after its candidate from Nawada in Bihar, Giriraj Singh, said at a rally on Saturday that those opposed to Mr Modi “will only have a place in Pakistan”.