Congress seeking votes to change Constitution for religious quota: Modi in Uttar Pradesh
I am an OBC too and scared of Cong’s Karnataka model, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he addresses rallies in Agra, Aonla and Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Congress, accusing it of conspiring to change the Constitution and to rob the Dalits and OBCs of quota benefits and to prepare the ground for religion-based reservation to favour its “vote bank”.
Modi took a similar line in all his three Uttar Pradesh rallies – Agra, Aonla and Shahjahanpur — in what appeared to be a counter to a similar Congress charge of a BJP plan to tinker with the Constitution.
He also attacked the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, referring indirectly to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
“Friendship between ‘do ladke’ (Akhilesh and Rahul) is based on their policy of appeasement. They speak in public in support of reservation to OBCs but through the backdoor want to wipe it out for vote bank politics,” Modi said
He reiterated his charge of the Congress plan for a property survey along with a survey of institutions and offices too, alleging that the Congress Shahzada (Rahul Gandhi) has come up with an X-ray machine for this purpose.
It has the ill intention of snatching away valuables and the property of the poor, including Mangalsutras of women, he said but assured that he will stand as “chowkidar” (watchman) for mothers and sisters against the design of the INDI alliance. He also raised the issue of inheritance tax.
He referred to the Congress’ “Karnataka model” which he said had made even him “afraid” and added that if he could feel afraid, what would others?
“I am an OBC too and I fear Congress’ Karnataka model and if I can be afraid what about you? Their Karnataka model meant including all Muslim castes within the 27% OBC quota and this meant that virtually overnight the OBCs were robbed (of their quota) without any legal process and merely by an official seal. This included passing quota benefits to all Muslims, irrespective of their financial standing, and all of them were made OBCs virtually overnight. And thus, the poor among the OBCs were robbed,” Modi said.
“The Congress has two same worn-out dialogues. That I am seeking votes to be a dictator and that if I win again, I will change the Constitution. The truth is they are seeking votes to come to power to change the Constitution to bring in religious quota while I am seeking 400 seats to stop the OBCs and Dalits of being robbed of quota benefits,” he said.
“If two people of OBCs and Dalit families are working, the Congress plans on property survey and ‘x-ray’ mean it would take away the job of one and give it to those whom they believe have the first right on the country’s resources,” Modi said in his rallies. The “first right on country’s resources” was an apparent reference to the 2006 speech of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had said that “minorities, particularly Muslims”, had the first right to country’s resources; a line BJP been playing up in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll campaign.
The reference to “vote bank” kept cropping up in all his three well-attended rallies in which he also reminded the audience of the significance of 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “This election is not an ordinary one but a one to get the country fully rid of slave mindset of a thousand years and to take India’s pride and glory to a new-high,” he said.
Modi recalled how the opposition parties that would frequently ask the BJP of the “date when Ram temple would come up”, failed to turn up when the BJP government not only provided them date-time-venue details but also served them an invite for the January 22 Ram temple inauguration.
“Why did they skip the consecration ceremony despite being invited? Because they feared losing their vote bank,” Modi said while reminding the audience of the “dangerous” vision of the Congress to snatch quota benefits of the OBCs and Dalits and pass them on to their “favorite vote bank”.
Modi also recalled how the then UPA government at the Centre had thought of a religion-based quota but failed then.
“We have seen politics of appeasement for long in the nation. It divided the nation and took away the rights of the deserving. We will end appeasement and will move towards ‘santushtikaran’ (satisfaction of the people) in place of ‘tushtikaran’ (appeasement). The Congress manifesto is reflection of the Muslim League and aimed at benefiting a vote bank while our manifesto is for the benefit of the nation,” he said.
Again accusing the Congress of eyeing to snatch the “mangasutras” of women, Modi said, “Since yesterday, a new slogan has come to light. That the Congress wants to probe and survey property. They say they want to do an ‘X-ray’ of your property. Do you know why? So that they could check all your property and then redistribute it to your favorite vote bank. The property you have made for your children and that too is being eyed by Congress as they plan to seize more than half of that as inheritance tax.” Mangalsutra – a form of pendant necklace – is usually worn by Hindu married women and is considered auspicious as a sign of their matrimony.
“Till I am alive, SP, Congress and INDI alliance will have to face me before committing this loot. Modi is ‘chowkidar’ for mother and sisters standing against this loot. We are going to continue with action against corrupt and return the money earned by corruption to the poor. That is why voters are saying Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar,” he said.
Modi asked the Congress’s alliance partner as to why it was silent over the Congress plans to “rob the women of their wealth and OBCs and Dalits of their quota benefits?”
He then said: “I assure you that no one would be allowed to tinker with your reservation rights. This is Modi guarantee.”
Modi also slammed the Congress and SP as dynastic parties and questioned why the SP couldn’t find anyone apart from their family to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh.
He also said, “Some have a problem with India’s rise. We have brought the defence corridor to make India self-reliant and an exporter of arms. But those who had expertise as middlemen during past regime do not want India to be self-reliant because they have minted money in the past and shared bribe and are thus opposing Modi.”
Modi’s all-out attack also included accusing the Congress of mocking his dive into the sea to touch the “holy stones Lord Krishna’s kingdom Dwarka in Gujarat”.
While Agra and Aonla vote in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 7, Shahjahanpur goes to polls in the fourth phase on May 13.