Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the Opposition during a rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, recalling the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blasts. Contending that some parties had been ‘sympathetic’ towards such terrorists, PM Modi also accused the previous Samajwadi Party-led government of seeking to “withdraw cases against several terrorists”.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, “When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, during that time there were serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. I can never forget that day…On the same day, I resolved that my government would find these terrorists from the underworld and punish them.”

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Earlier, a special court had sentenced to death 38 members of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) for the Ahmedabad bombings which killed 56 people and injured over 200 on July 26, 2008.

The court also gave life terms to 11 other IM convicts in the case. Speaking in Hardoi today, PM Modi said that he had “kept silent” for so many years because the hearings for the Ahmedabad blast were underway.

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“Today when the court has sentenced the terrorists, I am now raising the matter in front of the country. And today I will also praise Gujarat Police for their efforts to eliminate many modules of terrorists….two days ago many accused of the Ahmedabad blast have got capital punishment. Today I’m mentioning it because some political parties have been polite towards terrorism..this is very dangerous for the country.. that’s why everyone must know,” he added. 

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The seven-phase polling in the state will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. Goa and Uttarakhand went to polls on February 14, while Punjab will also vote in a single phase on February 20.