 "Modi, Narendra Modi")
The Election Commission (EC), on Monday, declined to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks made during a poll speech in Rajasthan.
A spokesperson for the poll panel stated, "We decline to comment," when asked about the Prime Minister's speech in Banswara on Sunday.
What did PM Modi say in Rajasthan?
During his speech, PM Modi suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims.
"This 'urban Naxal' mindset, mothers and sisters, will not even leave your 'mangalsutra'. They can go to that extent. The Congress manifesto claims it will calculate the gold possessed by mothers and sisters, gather information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom? Manmohan Singh's government had said Muslims have the first right on the country's assets," PM Modi asserted at the rally on Sunday.
"Earlier, when their [Congress] government was in power, they had stated that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This implies to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?"
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"Is it acceptable to you? Do governments have the right to confiscate your property which you have earned through hard work? The gold with our mothers and sisters is not for showing off; it is tied to their self-respect. The value of their mangalsutra is not in gold or its price, but is related to their dreams in life. And you are talking about snatching it?" PM Modi said.
To support the Prime Minister's claim, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posted a 22-second video of Dr Manmohan Singh's speech from December 2006. "The Congress doesn't trust their own Prime Minister?" the saffron party 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."
— BJP (@BJP4India) April 21, 2024
- Dr Manmohan Singh, 9th Dec, 2006
The Congress doesn’t trust their… https://t.co/MWAf8uP23N pic.twitter.com/EDAKfasXT8
What did Dr Manmohan Singh say in 2006?
PM Modi was referring to a statement made by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in December 2006 at a meeting of the National Development Council regarding the fiscal priorities of the government. This statement sparked significant controversy, prompting the office of the former Prime Minister to issue a clarification addressing what it termed a "deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation."
According to the then Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Dr Singh had stated, "I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, Other Backward Classes [OBCs], minorities, and women and children.
"The component plans for Scheduled Castes [SCs] and Scheduled Tribes [STs] will need to be revitalised. 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 myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the overall resource availability," it said.
The PMO added that it should be clear from the above that the Prime Minister's reference to "first claim on resources" pertains to all the "priority" areas listed, including programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women, children, and minorities.
PM Modi vs Congress
PM Modi's sharp swipe comes as he and the ruling BJP ramp up attacks on the Congress and the INDIA bloc. Earlier, in Rajasthan's Jalore, the Prime Minister stated that the country would "punish" the party for its "sins".
PM Modi and the BJP also accused the Congress' election manifesto of being a "Muslim League imprint" and a "bundle of lies".
At a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, PM Modi stated, "Congress issued a bundle of lies in its manifesto... every page reeks of attempts to tear India apart. It reflects the thoughts the Muslim League had before independence."
The comment drew a fierce retort from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. In a strong swipe at the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said, "Everyone knows how [Syama] Prasad Mookerjee "formed his governments in Bengal, Sindh, and NWFP [North West Frontier Province] in the 1940s in coalition with the Muslim League".
The ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha election, which began last Friday with voting for 102 seats in 21 states and UTs, including 12 in Rajasthan, will continue with the next phase of voting on April 26.
