Congress tried to give reservation for Muslims from Dalit quota, says PM

JAIPUR: Even as his remarks on “redistribution of wealth’’ at an election rally in Rajasthan whipped up a political storm and outrage, Prime Minister Narendra continued to target the Congress, unsparing in his sharp criticism of the main Opposition party.

On Tuesday, PM Modi said the Congress tried to extend reservation on the basis of religion and give it to Muslims, and once again accused the party of hatching a “deep conspiracy” to snatch people’s wealth and distribute it among “select” people.

PM Modi, the star campaigner of the BJP, also charged that it is difficult to follow one’s faith under the Congress and that even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes a crime under that party’s rule.

His remarks come on a day when the country is celebrating Hanuman Jayanti.

Addressing an election rally in Tonk, PM Modi said as soon as the Congress formed the government at the Centre in 2004, one of its first tasks was to reduce the SC/ST reservation in Andhra Pradesh and give it to Muslims.

“Modi is giving you a guarantee with an open heart that reservation for Dalits and backward tribals will neither end nor will it be allowed to be divided in the name of religion,” he said.

Asserting that he understands the Constitution, Modi said he is dedicated to the Constitution and is a person who worships B R Ambedkar.

Amid a row over his ‘redistribution of wealth’ remarks, the Prime Minister again charged that the Congress will snatch people’s wealth and distribute it to select people.

Modi said when the BJP government in Karnataka got an opportunity, the first thing it did was to abolish the Muslim quota which was created by snatching it from ST and SC.

He said the constitutional limit for reservation was ending in 2020 and he had extended the reservation of Dalits and tribals for another 10 years.

The Congress and INDI Alliance, Modi said, were peeved after he exposed their vote bank and appeasement politics in his recent address in Rajasthan’s Banswara.

“I have put forth the truth before the country that the Congress is hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch your wealth and distribute it among ‘select’ people,” he said.

He said when he exposed the vote bank politics of Congress, it angered the Congress and its INDI Alliance so much that they have started abusing him everywhere. Why is the Congress scared of the truth and hiding its policies, he asked.

“You have made the policy and taken the decision and when Modi exposed the secret and your hidden agenda came out, you are trembling,” he said.

The Prime Minister charged that the Congress is stuck in the quagmire of its vote bank and does not care about the Constitution.

“It is written in their manifesto that they will survey the wealth. Their leader had said in a speech that X-ray of wealth will be done. This means that if something is kept in a box or hidden in a wall, it will be searched through X-ray. Then they will capture all your property which is more than required and then distribute it among the people,” he said.

At a rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, Modi had said that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to “infiltrators” and those who have more children, and cited former PM Manmohan Singh’s remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country’s resources.

He said during the Congress rule in Rajasthan, those who pelted stones on Ram Navmi procession were given protection and restrictions were imposed on such processions.

However, after the formation of the BJP government in the state, no one has the courage to question faith.

In a rally at Tonk, PM Modi said the Congress has tried to extend reservation on the basis of religion and give it to Muslims, and accused the party again of hatching a “deep conspiracy” to snatch people’s wealth and distribute it among a “select” group.

“The people of Rajasthan can never forget the wounds inflicted by the Congress while it was in power,” he said. This was his last election rally in Rajasthan where the final round of polling will take place on April 26. With Agency Inputs