A day after Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai stoked a political storm with his comment on “chopping off fingers and hands raised against” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi has courted a fresh row with an even more provocative response to Rai’s threat.
“Some leaders in BJP are saying that those who raise fingers at PM Modi, their fingers will be broken and hands will be chopped. I challenge them to chop the fingers and hands of the people of Bihar. Will people of Bihar remain silent? There are many people standing to chop their hands. There are many here who will slit Narendra Modi’s neck and chop his hands,” said Rabri at at a party function in Patna where her husband Lalu Yadav was declared the RJD chief for the 10th time.
Rabri’s stinging remarks against the prime minister came in the backdrop of multiple summons issued against her and her family members by the Enforcement Directorate in ongoing cases of corruption.
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She also declared that she would continue to skip the summons adding, “”if they want to, they can come to Patna and interrogate me at my home.” She alleged that her family was being implicated in false cases of corruption as part of a conspiracy.
“Be it ED, CBI or IT (income tax) I know their tiriya charittar (character). What wrong have we done? The Centre should give an answer and so should the state government”, she added.
Addressing a function in Patna, Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai said that every citizen of the country should be proud that a “garib ka beta” (the son of a poor family) rose from humble beginnings to become Prime Minister.
“Unki ore uthne waali ungli ko, uthne waale haath ko…hum sub milke…ya to tod dein, zaroorat pari to kaat dein (Any finger or hand raised towards him, (PM Modi) we should together, either break it or if needed, chop it off),” Raid at the event where Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi was also present.
However, after facing flak from opposition, Rai said he felt “sorry” for it adding that his remarks were misinterpreted.
“I was misinterpreted as what I had said was a proverb in Hindi,” he said later. “Haath katna, unglai todna hindi ke muhavre hain jiska matlab virodhiyon ko darana hota hai [Chopping-off hands, breaking fingers are proverbs in Hindi which are used to intimidate your opponents],” he explained.
