Congress seeking to divide women in name of caste: Modi

BILASPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of seeking to divide women in the name of caste and by spreading lies, as he launched a fierce counter-attack on the party over its demand of OBC sub-quota in women’s reservation in legislatures.

Addressing a large crowd to mark the end of the BJP’s ‘parivartan yatra’ in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, he invoked his own OBC background to assert that the country’s main opposition hates him and has not stopped abusing the backwards, Dalits and tribals despite its leader being sentenced by court, an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi was convicted by a Gujarat court for his “Modi surname” remarks. The Supreme Court has stayed the conviction.

As a member from a backward community became prime minister, that is why the Congress dislikes him so much as it believes that the chair was “reserved” for it, Modi alleged.

“The Congress does not shy from abusing the entire backward community in the name of Modi,” he said.

The prime minister also made it all but clear that the BJP will not be projecting any chief ministerial candidate in the state, telling party workers that it has only one leader and one candidate which is ‘lotus’.

“We have to win over the heart of every voter at booths,” he said, asserting that people have decided to get rid of the Congress government mired in “corruption” and “scams” in every scheme.

Turning to the women’s reservation law and the opposition’s demand for an OBC quota within it, he asked the women to stay united and continue “blessing” him amid attempts to spread lies and divide them in the name of caste.

The Congress, the prime minister said, is full of anger and has lost its sleep as it seems to the party that mothers and sisters will bless him for this.

“Due to this fear, they (Congress) are playing new games. They want to sow division among our sisters because they know if you remain united, their game is over,” he said.