Addressing separate rallies in Haryana and Punjab ahead of polling in the sixth phase on May 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress and its INDIA bloc partners of dividing the country into three nations, including two Muslim ones, in order to appease their “vote bank”, and saying that Muslims have the first right on India.
He also said the alliance wants to snatch the reservation guaranteed by the Constitution to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes and give it to those who do “vote jihad”.
Campaigning for Dharambir Singh, the BJP’s candidate from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seat in Haryana, which goes to polls along with the nine other constituencies in the State on May 25, Mr. Modi, referring to a recent West Bengal High Court verdict cancelling five lakh OBC certificates, said the reservation meant for the OBCs was being distributed to the “intruders”, exposing the anti-quota mentality of the INDIA bloc. “The West Bengal CM has said she won’t adhere to the court order. She will give OBC quota to Muslims. When the Congress, the TMC, and the INDI Alliance partners are standing firmly with their vote bank, who will stand for you?”
The PM said he is the watchman of the rights of the deprived and has come to assure them that no one can take away their reservation as long as he is alive. “It’s not a poll speech. It is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Mr. Modi said the INDIA bloc partners can go to any length to keep their vote bank intact and the Congress, if it has its way, will arrest people for even uttering the word “Ram”. He said it wants to obliterate “Ram” from the country. “As long as the Congress was in power, it did not allow the construction of the Ram Mandir. It even boycotted the consecration ceremony. Now, an adviser to the Congress’s prince [Rahul Gandhi] has revealed that the party wants to put a lock on the Ram Mandir if voted to power,” he said.
The PM said the INDIA bloc, anticipating its defeat after the third phase, has started accusing the Election Commission of delaying the release of voter data to find a scapegoat for its imminent loss. “Every vote cast for the Congress will be a waste, since it can never form a government,” he said, adding that INDIA bloc parties are saying they will have five PMs in five years if voted to power. “INDI Alliance only spreads the politics of communalism, casteism, and dynasty,” he said.
‘Ineffective CM’
During a public meeting in support of BJP’s Patiala candidate Preneet Kaur, Mr. Modi targeted the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab and said the sand mining and drugs mafia, and shooter gangs are having a free run in the State and the government seems powerless. He said Ministers and MLAs are having fun, and the “kagazi (ineffective) CM” is busy attending the party’s “Delhi Darbar”. Referring to AAP and the Congress as “Delhi’s staunchly corrupt” party, and party “accused of Sikh riots”, respectively, he said they attack each other in Punjab but have an understanding in Delhi.
