Modi slams Congress over ban of TV channel

Ahmedabad: Accusing the Congress of being "intolerant" to criticism, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the opposition party in the state over "banning" a regional TV channel from covering its events.

Modi also slammed the Congress for what he called the country's "durdasha" (mismanagement) and urged BJP women's wing to prevent Congress from coming to power in the poll-bound state. Assembly elections are due in December this year.

Addressing a gathering of Gujarat BJP Mahila Morcha in Gandhinagar, Modi took up the issue of a circular of the Gujarat Congress banning a regional TV channel TV 9 from covering its events and accused it of being "intolerant" to criticism.

State Congress leaders said the channel is being kept out of its press conferences and other events and also there will be no media interaction by the party with the network. A communication in this regard has been sent to all district units of the party, they said.

"Journalists on Twitter who spoke against Congress, were blocked. Here they banned a TV channel. Their crime is that they exposed cracks in the 'ghar nu ghar' (own your home) scheme of the Congress. Yet this party talks about democracy," he said.

He also referred to the Emergency in 1975 during which important fundamental rights of people were suspended. "Remember the days of Indira Gandhi, when she attacked democracy. There was widespread fear of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), which was repealed in 1977. People were jailed, but they voted her out," Modi said.

The BJP strongman urged the women members to focus at the booth level for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. "Elections are won at the booth level. If women decide and bring at least 300 votes per booth for BJP, we will emerge victorious," he said.

"Congress is campaigning for 'change of direction, change of situation' in Gujarat. But due to bad direction of the Congress, our country is in a bad situation at present. You will not let that atmosphere of 'durdasha' enter our

soil," he added.