Sheer degradation of politics: Rajnath on Revanth's 'Congress means Muslims' comment

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday criticised Telangana CM Revanth Reddy for his ''Congress means Muslims'' comment, calling it a sheer degradation of politics.

Addressing an election rally in Bihar's Aurangabad district, Singh claimed the BJP-led NDA does not divide people on the basis of religion, caste and creed.

''The Congress and RJD are trying to divide the society based on caste, creed and religion. This election is a fight between good governance and 'jungle raj' (lawlessness). The same people who plunged Bihar into an era of caste conflict and massacres are now seeking votes. People must remain alert about such forces,'' he said.

While campaigning for the Jubilee Hills assembly bypoll in Hyderabad on Thursday, Reddy criticised Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy for opposing the recent induction of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin into his cabinet and said it is only the Congress that gives big posts to members of the minority communities.

''Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress,'' the CM had said.

Singh also took a dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad, claiming that these days 'samosas' do not require just 'aloo' (potatoes).

''The days are over when RJD workers used to say 'jab tak rahega samosa mein aaloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu'. Now, samosas do not require just potatoes. Tasty samosas require cashew nuts and several other ingredients. Only NDA can provide tasty samosas,'' he quipped.

Singh alleged the INDIA bloc was lying about giving government jobs to one member of every family if voted to power in the state.

''Where will the money come from to pay the salaries? I don't know whether Tejashwi knows mathematics. These are simply lies,'' he claimed.

''Only the NDA can think of further developing Bihar. Vote for NDA, not for 'jungle raj','' he appealed to the voters.

Singh said India will soon become the third-largest economy in the world, and the NDA government was working to make it the ''richest country'' by 2047.

''We don't make false, misleading and unrealistic promises. I am sure that people will vote for the NDA to make Bihar a developed state,'' he said.