Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday painted the Opposition as a band of anti-Hindu politicians bent on breaking India up, terming them the “tukde tukde karne wale gang” and accusing them of appeasement politics.

Addressing a rally in Nawada, Bihar, he accused them of threatening to destroy the Sanatan Dharma. He asked people to remember on Ram Navami next week that some Opposition parties had shunned the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya.

“Tukde tukde gang”, which roughly implies “people who want to break India
into pieces”, is a saffron coinage for its ideological opponents, in particular Leftist students at JNU.

The Prime Minister had over the last few days accused past Congress governments of weakness in tackling “terror from small countries” while portraying the principal Opposition party as anti-Ram temple and its manifesto as reflecting policies of the erstwhile Muslim League.

On Sunday, Modi’s prime target was Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had at an event in Jaipur questioned the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and suggested that Article 370 held no significance for the local people (in Jaipur).

“The Congress’s national president — (that) is no small position. He recently gave a speech, perhaps in Rajasthan, and said what has Rajasthan to do with Article 370? I
felt deeply ashamed,” the Prime Minister told the Nawada rally.

“Is Jammu and Kashmir not ours? His views are an insult to the security personnel of Rajasthan and Bihar who gave up their lives fighting against terrorists to save Kashmir and returned home wrapped in the Tricolour.”

Modi added: “You say what has this or that corner of India to do with it? Ye tukde tukde karne wale gang ka pratap hai ki yeh log ye bhasa bolne lage hain (This is the impact of the tukde tukde gang that these people have started speaking this language).”

Nawada votes in the first phase of the general election on April 19 along with Gaya, Jamui and Aurangabad. Senior BJP leader C.P. Thakur’s son and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Thakur is pitted against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Shravan Kushwaha in Nawada.

Modi accused the INDIA bloc of being against the Sanatan Dharma (Hindu religion) and of talking about another division of the country. He called the Opposition alliance a den of the corrupt, anti-national and hate-monger.

“INDI gathbandhan wale Sanatan Dharma ko samapt karne ki baat karte hain, INDI gathbandhan wale Bharat ki ek aur vibhajan karne ki baat karte hain, Congress party ke neta khuleyam bayan de rahe hain wo dakshin Bharat ko alag kar denge,” Modi said.

A rough translation: “People in the INDI alliance speak of destroying the Sanatan Dharma and dividing India one more time. Congress leaders are openly saying they will separate south India (from the rest of the country).”

Modi repeated a charge he had made on Saturday: “The Congress manifesto, released two days ago, bears the imprint of the Muslim League’s views. It is not a manifesto, it is a declaration of appeasement.”

As on Saturday, he did not elaborate. The erstwhile Muslim League — as distinct from the Congress’s present-day Kerala ally, the Indian Union Muslim League — is widely blamed for the Partition and the creation of Pakistan.

Modi questioned the Opposition’s alleged animosity towards Ram, Ayodhya, the people and their heritage.

“When the Ram temple was ready, they (INDIA) said they would not attend its consecration ceremony. They opposed it…. Their minds are so full of poison that they threw out their leaders from the party when they attended the function. Ram Navami is coming. Do not forget those who have committed this sin,” Modi said.

Ram Navami (Ram’s birthday) falls on April 17 this year, just two days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, with the festivities and processions likely to continue for a couple of days.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan and several other senior politicians shared the dais with Modi.

Tejashwi slams PM

RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav described Modi’s allegation that the Opposition was against the Sanatan Dharma as “indecent”.

“Do BJP leaders consider themselves God? Is opposing them equal to opposing God? If anybody opposes the BJP, he is labelled as anti-religion,” he said.

“It is indecent of a Prime Minister to say such things. God sees everything and we all have to go there one day. When He (God) does justice, these people (BJP leaders) will understand.”

Tejashwi said everybody knew there was a small temple at his residence in Patna where his entire family prayed. “Worship is not something to publicise,” he said.