Launching a withering broadside against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 10 accused the Opposition party of hatching conspiracy to erase Hindu faith from the country.
Addressing a campaign rally in the tribal-dominated Nandurbar Lok Sabha constituency, the PM lashed out at the Congress, dubbing it “anti-Hindu” while claiming the party was spreading lies against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party by alleging that the saffron party would change the Constitution and do away with reservation.
Taking shots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda, the overseas Congress leader who quit because of his controversial remarks, Mr. Modi said, “The agenda of the Congress party is so dangerous that the shehzada’s [mockingly alluding to Mr. Gandhi as a princeling] guru in America [Mr. Pitroda] has disclosed that the construction of Ram Mandir and the celebration of the Ram Navami festival is against the idea of India. They even say that going to temples is anti-Indian. Look at the Congress’ mentality, calling the Ram temple ‘anti-national’ in Lord Ram’s country. The Congress is hatching a conspiracy to erase Hindu faith from this country.”
Mr. Modi further said that the Congress was aware that it could not compete with him on the plank of development.
“Hence, they have opened a factory of lies. Sometimes they lie about the BJP scrapping reservation, sometimes they accuse us of trying to subvert the Constitution. They keep spreading these lies through an ecosystem,” Mr. Modi said.
Accusing the Congress party of attempting to divide India along religious lines while reiterating that it planned to snatch the reservation of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the OBCs and give it to the Muslims.
“I asked the Congress to give it in writing that they will not divide the reservation given to the SCs, STs, and OBCs and give it to Muslims. But they are not answering. They are silent. It means they have a hidden agenda,” the PM said, dramatically remarking, “vanchit ka jo adhikaar hain, Modi uska chowkidar hain [Modi is watching over the rights of the deprived classes].”
Accusing the Congress of trying to ally with “anti-national forces” to divide the country, Mr. Modi said, “As long as I am alive, the share of reservation of the SCs, STs, and OBCs will not be given to anyone on the basis of religion. This is entirely against the spirit of the Constitution written by Babasaheb Ambedkar, which expressly forbade the granting of reservation along religious lines.”
PM Modi was campaigning for the Mahayuti’s candidate, Dr. Heena Gavit of the BJP, who is seeking re-election from the ST-reserved Nandurbar seat for a straight third term.
Keeping up his attack on the Congress with regards to the welfare of the STs, the PM said, “The Congress has never respected our Adivasi brethren. This party never gave any Adivasi freedom fighters credit for bringing about Independence…this credit was only given to one family. It is the BJP that recognized sacrifices made by Adivasi freedom fighters.”
He further alleged that the Congress was reportedly against making Droupadi Murmu the President as she hailed from the Adivasi community.
“Unlike the Congress royal family, I do not hail from a big family. I, too, was born in poverty. Serving the deprived and the Adivasi community is like serving a member of my family. The Congress never cared about our Adivasi brethren. Despite sickle cell anaemia being rife in these parts, the Congress did not pay attention to it. It was the BJP which ran a campaign to eradicate it,” the PM claimed.
Mr. Modi then went on to say that the Adivasi families in Nandurbar had had to face a “mountain of difficulties” during erstwhile Congress-led regimes and that they did not have permanent houses, electricity, water even after 70 years of Independence.
“Hence, Narendra Modi has taken a resolution for providing a home for every poor household, electricity in every village, water in every Adivasi home. We have provided homes for 1.15 lakh people in Nandurbar alone through the PM Awaas Yojana scheme,” he claimed.
In response to the PM’s claims at Nandurbar, the Congress demanded to know why the Modi government had delayed conducting the census by three years when it ought to have been conducted in 2021.
“The PM’s claims in Nandurbar raises several questions. Why did you delay the census by three years? Why did you stop Dalit and tribal communities from getting information about their population?” asked Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh.
In a video statement, Mr. Ramesh further questioned whether Mr. Modi really wanted an up-to-date socio-economic census or not.
“Why have you not broken your silence on this issue? Why have you not released the caste data of the socio-economic caste census conducted by the Manmohan Singh government in 2011? Will you remove the 50% limit imposed by the Supreme Court on reservation for Dalits, tribals and backward classes or not?” he said, accusing the PM of being ‘scared’ of conducting a caste census.
“Why is he running away from carrying out a caste census. But he will anyway be leaving his post soon. When the Congress comes to power, it will certainly carry out this census,” Mr. Ramesh said.
