New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha on Saturday issued a rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Dalit insult’ charge at the party supremo Lalu Yadav, during his visit to Bihar and said that these accusations are laughable.

PM Modi, addressing a rally in Siwan yesterday, accused the RJD chief of disrespecting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and tore into RJD for leaving behind “jungle raj” legacy in the state. Reacting to the remarks on Saturday, Jha said, “Sometimes the Prime Minister says laughable things. Perhaps that’s the intent, to make people laugh a little. But the person he is targeting spent his entire life following Babasaheb Ambedkar’s ideals.”

The RJD lawmaker further pointed to the Prime Minister’s silence on ‘Dalit insult’ during earlier statements made by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Parliament.

“The Home Minister had said in the House, ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, if someone took God’s name this often, they would have reached heaven.’ That day, Mr. Prime Minister, you remained silent. Why the selective outrage now?,” he asked.

“Let me make one last comment, the blue scarf you wore in Bihar suddenly felt too heavy when you reached Odisha. That scarf, which had a saffron stripe that diluted the dignity of the blue, was taken off in front of Lord Jagannath. Why? Did it become too burdensome?” he added.

Prime Minister Modi, during a rally in Siwan, Bihar on Friday, had accused the opposition of weakening the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar, the architect of Constitution, through dynastic politics.

“The RJD and its allies have insulted Babasaheb and hindered Bihar’s progress through their ‘family first’ approach,” PM Modi said, while inaugurating and laying the foundation for development projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore.

He added that Bihar would play a crucial role in India’s journey to becoming the world’s third-largest economy.

–IANS

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