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Launching a blistering attack on the Congress, Modi also charged that it is difficult to follow one’s faith under the Congress and that even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes 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, the prime minister 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.
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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 the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had given a speech in which he had said that Muslims have the first right on the resources of the country.
“This was not a coincidence. This is not a single statement. Congress’ ideology has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics. As soon as the Congress formed the government at the Centre in 2004, one of the first things it did was to reduce the SC/ST reservation in Andhra Pradesh and give it to Muslims,” he said.
“This was a pilot project which the Congress wanted to try in the entire country. Between 2004 and 2010, the Congress tried to implement Muslim reservation in Andhra Pradesh four times but due to legal hurdles and the awareness of the Supreme Court, it could not fulfil its intention,” he said.
“In 2011, the Congress tried to implement it throughout the country. They played a game of snatching away the rights given to SC, ST and OBC and giving them to others for vote bank politics. The Congress did this deliberately and without caring about the Constitution and B R Ambedkar,” he said.
“I want to ask the Congress, will it declare that will it divide the reservation for Dalits and backward tribals and give it to Muslims?” he said.
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.
The Prime Minister said the constitutional limit for reservation was ending in 2020 and he had extended the reservation of Dalit and tribals for another 10 years.
The Congress and I.N.D.I. 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 I.N.D.I. Alliance so much that they have started abusing him everywhere.
Why is the Congress scared of the truth and hiding its policies, the Prime Minister 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.
Further attacking the Congress, Modi said, “Even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes crime under Congress rule” and referred to an incident in Congress-ruled Karnataka where a shopkeeper was beaten up for listening to Hanuman Chalisa.
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.
“Now, you will recite Hanuman Chalisa peacefully and also celebrate Ram Navami, this is the guarantee of BJP,” he said.