The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “vitiating” the atmosphere during the on-going State polls by making a controversial remark about “graveyards and cremation grounds”.
“The Prime Minister, true to form, is trying to vitiate the atmosphere during election time,” Congress Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha leader Anand Sharma said here. “He has tried to stir communal tensions and polarise society. His speech on graveyards and crematoria shows his mindset.”
Mr Sharma's remarks came a day after Mr Modi, in a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur, accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) government of playing the politics of discrimination.
Simultaneously, he claimed his flagship schemes were benefiting all citizens, irrespective of their caste and religion.
On Sunday, addressing a rally, he had said, “If a village receives funds for a graveyard, then it should also get for cremation grounds... If you provide uninterrupted power supply for Ramzan, then you should also do it for Diwali.”
“It is clear BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is heading towards a big defeat. Flustered and frustrated, Modiji has lost all sense of balance in his speeches,” Mr Sharma stressed.
“India is a multi-cultural nation,” he continued, adding, “Our Constitution doesn't allow anyone to divide the nation, whether on caste or religious lines.”
Impropriety
The Prime Minister, Mr Sharma said, “is not above the Constitution or the law. The Prime Minister would be better served telling the people how many of his promises he has kept.” For instance, the Congress leader pointed out, the Prime Minister had not fulfilled the promises he had made to farmers in 2014.
Mr Sharma also made it clear that it was for the Election Commission, a constitutional body, to take cognisance of the Prime Minister’s speech and act.
The Prime Minister’s statement came at a time when polling in the third phase of the Assembly elections in the state was underway in 69 seats across 12 districts.
The elections are being held in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh.
It also comes against the backdrop of the Supreme Court stating, in January, that seeking votes on the basis of ‘religion, caste, race, community or language was not legal’.
