The Shiv Sena, an ally of the NDA, has hit out at the Congress for raking up the issue of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s marriage. The Congress had complained to the Election Commission that Mr. Modi concealed information about his wife, Jashodaben, in earlier poll affidavits.
“First get the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi married and then raise questions about Narendra Modi’s marriage,” said an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Monday.
“Those who feel they can get Modi into legal trouble by raising this issue are living in a fool’s paradise,” the editorial said referring to the Congress party’s complaint.
“Why has the Congress raised this issue when Mr. Modi’s wife Jasodaben has made no complaint? If the Congress is so concerned about her, it should also take up the issue of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar, who died under mysterious circumstances.”
The editorial endorsed Mr. Modi’s family’s stand that his marriage was a mere formality. “Swami Ramdas ran away in the middle of wedding rituals to dedicate his life to society and his religion. Mr. Modi and his wife decided to separate and he went on to become an RSS worker.”
The editorial also accused the Congress of highlighting the issue to divert attention from its own failings. “How is the issue of Mr. Modi’s marriage going to solve issues of price rise and corruption? Is it going to help the common man?” the editorial asked.
It said the Congress had no moral right to take up issues concerning women when several of its leaders were accused of committing atrocities against women.