I was stopped from speaking: Modi

Varanasi, May 17 (IANS) BJP leader Narendra Modi Saturday said people voted for him despite he being stopped from speaking in the holy city and the poll panel disallowing him to hold an election rally.

"I was stopped from speaking to my people in Varanasi. In spite of that, people voted for me. They put a stamp on my silence," Modi said in an indirect reference to the Election Commission.

The poll panel had denied him permission to hold an election rally in Beniyabagh area of the Hindu holy city.

Speaking at the Dashashwamedh Ghat after offering prayers to the sacred Ganga river, Modi said that after being elected, he has now become "the son of Varanasi".