Bengaluru: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deriding the opposition alliance ‘INDIA’, citing reviled names such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday sought to know why he has so much hatred for the beautiful, melodious and holy name of India.

Pointing out to the PM that Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who looted hundreds of crores of tax money of Indians and ran away from the country, too have his Modi surname, he wondered whether they can be compared to him.

“Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi, you have compared the alliance of opposition parties ‘INDIA’ to the East India Company and the Indian Mujahideen. Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who looted hundreds of crores of tax money of Indians and ran away from the country, too have your Modi surname ? Can they be compared with you?” Siddaramaiah asked in a tweet.

Noting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sued for defamation, sentenced to two years in jail, and disqualified from the Lok Sabha for asking the common question stating that Lalit and Nirav too have Modi in their names, he said, “Doesn’t action taken against Rahul Gandhi apply to you, for your comparison comparing India to East India Company and Indian Mujahideen?” Modi on Tuesday derided the opposition alliance INDIA as the most directionless the country had ever seen, and cited reviled names such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen to assert that people cannot be misled merely by the use of the country’s name.

With opposition parties rallying around the name ‘INDIA’ for their alliance, the PM cited the history of several organisations, including some banned extremist and terror outfits using the country’s name, and panned the grouping as a collection of corrupt leaders and parties.

Siddaramaiah further asked, ” Prime Minister @narendramodi why do you have so much hatred for the beautiful, melodious and holy name of India? Being so impatient with the name India, will you change the name of your own government programmes like Make in India, Start Up India, Skill India etc.?”