The BJP and Opposition leaders on Monday engaged in a war of words over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on `redistribution of country’s wealth by Congress favouring Muslims’ made at an elections rally in Rajasthan a day earlier, with Opposition terming the remarks as communally divisive and also complained to the Election Commission of India while BJP saying the PM has called a spade a spade and has echoed people’s sentiments.
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi on Sunday suggested that if the Congress comes to power, it would redistribute wealth to Muslims. Modi alleged that the Congress plans to give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children.”
Targeting Modi, the Congress on Monday accused him of attempting to create communal polarisation for electoral gains. AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal said the prime minister was quoting something that wasn’t there in the Congress manifesto and that he was attempting to create “communal polarisation” in the country for electoral gains.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said that the opposition is in pain as Modi has shown them the mirror about its past. His remarks have resonated with people as for the opposition INDIA Bloc those who have illegally entered the country are more important than citizens if they happen to be Muslims, he alleged.
Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi alleged that the Congress plans to give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.
In his remarks in Rajasthan, Modi had said, “Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children”.
Congress urged the Election Commission to take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘redistribution of wealth’ remarks made at a poll rally in Rajasthan, alleging they were ‘divisive’, ‘malicious’ and targeted a particular religious community. They alleged that Modi was using religion to ask voters to refrain from voting for it and was making false and defamatory statements against the Opposition party and its leaders.
Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of speaking in a “poisonous language” and said that he has several new tactics for diverting attention from real issues but the end of “business of lies” is near.
Sharing the Congress’ latest advertisement that focuses on rising prices and unemployment on Monday, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “Unemployment and inflation are at their peak in the country and Narendra Modi says ‘everything is fine’.” “He (Modi) has several new techniques to ‘divert from the issues’, But the end of the business of lies is near,” Rahul Gandhi said in a social media post.
While CPIM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said while the prime minister’s remarks are atrocious, the silence of the Election Commission is worse, the Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also appealed to the people to write to the Election Commission over Modi’s remarks.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut termed as “disheartening” the comments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that if the Congress comes to power, it would redistribute wealth of people to Muslims. “He even talked about mangalsutra (sacred thread worn around the neck by women). It means he is completely disillusioned and is going to lose this election,” the Rajya Sabha member claimed.
“The possibility of electoral loss bothers him, and that is why such language...How can individuals having a certain number of kids be a campaign issue?” he said. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also asked why PM Modi has not discussed his government’s performance over the last 10 years.
Bhatia asked if the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had in 2006 not said that minorities, especially Muslims, have the first rights in the country’s resources. He said the UPA was a black chapter in Indian democracy and if the INDIA alliance feels ashamed, so be it.
Addressing the 52nd Meeting of the National Development Council in 2006, former prime minister Singh had said, “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad of other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability”.
