"Listening to Hanuman Chalisa a crime...": PM Modi brings up Karnataka assault to shred Congress

TONK: Invoking the alleged recent assault on a shopkeeper listening to a recital of the Hanuman Chalisa in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said chanting to the glory of the Hindu deity was a 'crime' in the Congress-ruled state.

Addressing a massive rally at the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha constituency in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, PM Modi, while extending his wishes to citizens on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, came out all guns blazing at the Congress, saying, "Under the Congress rule (in Karnataka), even listening to Hanuman Chalisa is a crime. The people of Rajasthan have been at the receiving end of this mindset. For the first time, since the Congress rule in Rajasthan, a Shobha Yatra (procession) was taken out in Rajasthan this year on Ram Navami. In a state where people greet each other by saying 'Ram, Ram', the Congress banned processions and celebrations on Ram Navami."

"I feel privileged to have received all your love, blessings and support. I am delighted to see all the excited and enthusiastic faces around me. On the auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, I extend my wishes to all the people out here and across the country," PM Modi added.

Bringing up the Karnataka incident, he added, "However, while extending my wishes to you on the occasion of Ram Navami, I am reminded of an incident from a few days ago. A shopkeeper in Congress-ruled Karnataka was brutally assaulted only because he was sitting at his shop, listening to a recital of Hanuman Chalisa."

The incident in question went down in March, this year, when a group of youths fell into an altercation with a shopkeeper while the latter was allegedly playing 'Hanuman Chalisa' on an audio system during 'Azaan' (the Muslim call to prayer).

Claiming that the Congress enforced a halt on Ram Navami celebrations in Rajasthan during its rule, PM Modi added, "Practising one's faith without fear is becoming increasingly difficult under Congress rule. The people of Rajasthan know all about it as they have been at the receiving end of it. Just a few days ago, the country celebrated Ram Navami with much fervour and enthusiasm. For the first time since the Congress' defeat, people here took out a procession on Ram Navami and the celebrations went off peacefully. Under their rule, there was an undeclared ban on Ran Navami celebrations in Rajasthan and stone-pelters enjoyed the state's patronage and protection."

Coming out in praise of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, PM Modi said mafia and criminals, who once overran the state, were now on the run under the present dispensation.

"You only got off the clutches of the Congress a few months ago. The wounds inflicted by the Congress while in power in the state are something you can never forget. They put Rajasthan top of the charts when it came to atrocities against women. You all know why the industries here in Tonk shut down because of the free run of some criminals. However, since Bhajan Lal Sharma and his team got to work, the mafia and criminals have been on the run. Even the paper-leak mafia seems to have cowered in the face of Bhajan Lal's crackdown," PM Modi said.

Phase 1 of polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan was conducted on April 19, while the remaining 13 will go to polls in the second phase on April 26.