PM Modi: The election speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Banswara, Rajasthan, has sparked controversy due to his mentions of Muslims. Leaders from the opposition bloc in INDIA have labeled the speech as an effort to shift focus away from “actual issues”.
At the rally on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “This mentality of ‘urban Naxals’, my dear mothers and sisters, won’t hesitate to target even your ‘mangalsutra’. They’re capable of stooping to such lows… The Congress manifesto indicates their intention to assess the gold owned by mothers and sisters, gather information about it, and subsequently redistribute that property. Who will they distribute it to? The government under Manmohan Singh had stated that Muslims have the primary claim on the country’s resources.”
“In the past, during their tenure, the Congress government asserted that Muslims hold the foremost claim over the nation’s resources. Consequently, who will receive this property? It will be allocated to those with larger families. It will be handed out to infiltrators. Do you endorse the idea of your hard-earned money benefiting infiltrators?”
“Is this something you find agreeable? Do governments possess the authority to seize your hard-earned possessions? The gold owned by our mothers and sisters isn’t just for display; it’s deeply intertwined with their sense of dignity. The significance of their mangalsutra extends beyond its gold content or monetary value; it’s intricately linked with their aspirations in life. And yet, you propose taking it away?” PM Modi expressed.
Backing Prime Minister Modi’s assertion, the BJP shared a 22-second video clip of Dr. Singh’s speech from December 2006. “Does the Congress lack confidence in their own Prime Minister?” questioned the BJP.
In his speech, PM Modi referenced a statement made by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in December 2006 during a National Development Council meeting regarding the government’s fiscal priorities. This incident had previously sparked significant controversy, leading the office of the then Prime Minister to issue a clarification, labeling it as a “deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation.”
As per the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at that time, Dr. Singh had expressed, “I am of the view that our shared priorities are evident: agriculture, irrigation, and water resources, healthcare, education, vital investments in rural infrastructure, and the necessary public investment requirements for overall infrastructure development, coupled with initiatives for the advancement of SC/STs, Other Backward Classes, minorities, as well as women and children.”
“We must rejuvenate the component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It’s imperative to devise inventive strategies to guarantee that minorities, especially the Muslim minority, are empowered to fairly partake in the benefits of development. They should be given primary access to resources. Additionally, the Centre faces numerous other obligations, and their requirements must be accommodated within the broader scope of available resources.”
The PMO clarified that the Prime Minister’s mention of the “first claim on resources” encompasses all the “priority” sectors listed earlier, which include initiatives for the advancement of SCs, STs, OBCs, women, children, and minorities.
In response to PM Modi’s criticism of Dr. Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a post on the microblogging website X, remarked that the Prime Minister is now attempting to shift the public’s focus away from key issues.
In the wake of the disillusionment following the initial phase of voting, Narendra Modi’s deceit has plummeted to such an extent that he is now seeking to distract the public from the real issues out of fear. We are witnessing emerging trends indicating the substantial backing the Congress’s ‘Revolutionary Manifesto’ is garnering, stated Mr. Gandhi in the post.
From now on, the nation will vote based on its concerns—employment, family, and future. India will stay on course, Mr. Gandhi declared.
In a video statement on X(Twitter), Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused PM Modi of continuously resorting to falsehoods to secure election victories.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, a prominent member of the Opposition bloc INDIA, took a critical stance against PM Modi’s speech. He emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for falsehoods is widely recognized not just within the country but globally as well. Akhilesh highlighted PM Modi’s dissemination of misinformation regarding the Congress’s ‘Nyay Patra’ and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as glaring examples of deceitful political tactics.
In a scathing critique of the Prime Minister’s comments, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi took to X, stating, “Modi has once again labeled Muslims as infiltrators and depicted those with numerous children in a negative light. From 2002 to the present day, Modi’s only consistent pledge has been to vilify Muslims for electoral gain. If we’re discussing the nation’s riches, it’s essential to acknowledge that under Modi’s leadership, the first claim to India’s wealth has been granted to his affluent allies. A mere 1% of Indians possess a staggering 40% of the country’s wealth. Meanwhile, ordinary Hindus are manipulated into fearing Muslims, all while their own wealth is used to enrich others.”
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The inaugural phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections took place on Friday. June 4th marks the day when the ballots will be counted, revealing the outcome of the elections.