The Congress wants to “implement Aurangzeb’s jizya tax” and also “support cow killing” as the party has become “directionless”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath alleged on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh.
“They have said that if a Congress-led INDI Alliance government is formed, they will give freedom of food as per the interest of minorities. Are the food interests of minorities different than those of the majority community? The bread, rice and regular food choices are same but the majority community refrains from cow meat,” Mr. Adityanath said at a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Ashok Nagar under the Guna Lok Sabha segment.
“The majority opposes the killing of cows and eating cow meat. The Congress has stooped so low that it will now support cow killing. This is not the same Congress that contributed to the nation’s Independence. It has become directionless,” the U.P. CM said.
The Congress manifesto, however, does not say anything about beef or cow slaughter.
“The Congress will ensure that, like every citizen, minorities have the freedom of choice of dress, food, language and personal laws,” the party’s manifesto reads.
Mr. Adityanath also alleged that the Congress wanted to “impose the jizya tax” from Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s time.
“One on side is [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi-ji’s vision [in which] your faith will be respected, [as will the] nation’s honour in the world and welfare of the poor. And on the other side, you must have seen the Congress manifesto,” he said.
“You must have heard about a cruel Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb. Even the civilised Muslim families don’t name their sons after him. He had imposed a tax named jizya tax. Today, the Congress also talks about jizya tax in its manifesto. What is jizya tax? It’s the same inheritance tax they have talked about,” Mr. Adityanath alleged.
Mr. Modi had in April alleged that the Congress wanted to “bring inheritance law”, and that the Congress wanted to redistribute wealth to Muslims after Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda termed it an “interesting law”.
Mr. Adityanath also alleged that the Congress wanted to dent the reservation of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, claiming that the party had done the same in Karnataka.
Mr. Adityanath was campaigning in support of the BJP candidate from Guna, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Mr. Scindia is pitted against Congress’ Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, who moved from BJP to the Congress ahead of the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.
Guna, along with eight other seats in Madhya Pradesh, goes to polls in the third phase on May 7.
