Rajnath seeks Cong. response on CPI(M)‘s manifesto promise to dismantle nuclear weapons

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh campaigns for the NDA candidate in the Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday.

Union Defence Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh on Wednesday questioned the intention behind the Communist Party of India (Marxist)‘s poll manifesto promise to dismantle nuclear weapons in the country and demanded to know the stance of the Congress on the issue.

Mr. Singh said any talk of dismantling India’s nuclear weapons amounted to playing with national security and there was a “deep-rooted conspiracy to weaken the country”. He accused the Left and the Congress, both allies in the INDIA bloc, of apparently trying to weaken the country.

Speaking at an election campaign meeting of M.L. Aswini, BJP candidate in the Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency, at Thalipadappu ground here, Mr. Singh demanded that the Congress clarify its stand on the CPI(M)‘s promise in the manifesto to dismantle nuclear weapons as it was the Indira Gandhi government which kicked off the country’s nuclear programme in 1974.

India worked hard to become one of the 11 nuclear power nations in the world and dismantling its nuclear weapons would weaken the country whose neighbours Pakistan and China were nuclear powers.

Mr. Singh raised concerns about the alleged corruption in the State cooperative banking sector, accusing the CPI(M) of siphoning off funds. He said ₹1 lakh crore was at risk due to malpractices in these banks. He pledged decisive action in the recent fraud cases, particularly mentioning the Karuvannur bank scam, assuring affected parties that restitution would be made promptly.

“Ram Navami celebrations are going on from Kerala to Kashmir. It is our culture and the concept of Sri Rama holds India together. Rama is not only God but also our cultural hero. But the Congress and the Communist Party do not understand this,” he said.

“We all know that, in our nation’s history, whosoever has ever opposed Lord Ram faced downfall in the country. That is what has happened to the Congress and the CPI(M),” he alleged.

Mr. Singh, highlighting the achievements of the NDA government, asserted that promises outlined in its manifesto had been fulfilled, with aspirations for India to ascend to the ranks of the world’s top three economic powers.

The Union Minister expressed confidence in the BJP’s electoral success in Kerala. He criticised both the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front for the crisis the State was facing now.

The meeting was chaired by BJP district president Ravish Tantri Kundar. Party State secretary K. Ranjith and former BJP Karnataka State president Nalin Kumar Kateel were present.

(with inputs from PTI)