'Don't read too much into it, he was trying to...': Rajnath Singh on PM Modi's 'mangalsutra' remark

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has dismissed the allegation that BJP poaching the opposition leaders and misusing power by forcing out competition. In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh asked, "Why did you (Congress) give tickets to such candidates? We never approached them. If someone comes to us and says ‘I want to support you’, should we say ‘No’?"

On the incessant raids against the opposition leaders by the central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rajnath Singh said such agencies operated independently and were autonomous.

“They were not allowed to function earlier. They never enjoyed the autonomy they were supposed to get. We have given them autonomy. Just look at the value of assets attached during the UPA and the NDA tenures. During UPA time, the value of assets attached by the ED was only ₹5,086 crore; during the NDA time, it was ₹1.2 lakh crore. Are we causing loss to the nation or doing good?" Singh told Indian Express.

Further, Singh cautioned against misinterpreting Modi's mangalsutra remark. He said the PM was trying to simplify complex issues for the public.

"Don’t read too much into the mangalsutra term. He was trying to make people understand. It’s a term everyone will understand when you want to refer to gold. You (Congress leader Rahul Gandhi) are talking about a wealth survey…Why do you want to do a survey?" Singh told the English Daily.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public rally on April 21 charged Congress and said if Congress is voted to power, then they will conduct a wealth survey to seize the assets of people and take away their life-long savings. PM Modi said your mangalsutra will not be safe under