Cong's twin LS strategy is to divide society on caste, unite vote bank through appeasement: PM

He was addressing a poll gathering at Surendranagar in Gujarat in support of BJP candidates for Surendranagar and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats 

PTI, Surendranagar, May 02 2024 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress over party president Mallikarjun Kharge's recent remark on Lord Ram and Lord Shiva, accusing the opposition party of trying to create divisions among Hindus due to its appeasement politics. He was addressing a poll gathering at Surendranagar in Gujarat in support of BJP candidates for Surendranagar and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats. "Now, Congress is trying to create divisions among Hindus. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has made a very dangerous statement about Lord Ram and Lord Shiva. This statement has been made with malafide intentions.

They are playing a game to divide the Hindu community," he said. "They are creating differences among the devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva so that they fight with each other. Even Mughals could not break our thousands of years of traditions. And now Congress wants to break it? How low will Congress stoop for appeasement?" Modi added. The PM also alleged that Congress, in its manifesto, has proposed a separate quota for minorities in the allocation of all government tenders.

Addressing a rally in Jamnagarin Gujarat, the PM said the Congress government in Karnataka issued a "fatwa" overnight to include Muslims in the Other Backward Classes segment to give them quota benefits. "The Congress is contesting elections on two strategies. The first is to divide society in the name of caste and the second is unite its vote bank through appeasement," Modi said.

He further said the Congress planned to change the Constitution to give reservation on the basis of religion. This is why the Congress party spread an "absolute rumour" regarding (curtailing of) reservations to Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs and tried to make it an election agenda, the PM said. The Congress is trying to take away reservations of SCs, STs and OBCs and give these benefits to Constituent Assembly did not have Muslims.

In Karnataka, 27 per cent OBC quota was "looted overnight" by the Congress to appease its vote bank, whereas those who drafted the Constitution were clear that religion-based quota could not be provided, the PM said.

"The leaders from BJP, RSS. Scholars like Babasaheb Ambedkar were present and after detailed discussions they decided that reservation cannot be given in the name of religion as it would create a grave danger for the country," he said.

"The poison sprayed by Congress has gone very high and I don't know to what places it will spread by end of this election," the PM said, adding the opposition party's leaders were at the forefront of supporting "terrorists" and were now calling for "vote jihad". The then prime minster served as the guest of Kashmiri separatists and Congress leaders came forward to save Ajmal Kasab, the lone gunman arrested after the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, Modi said.

"Books were written to save jihadis of the Mumbai terror attack and a Congress leader released (one such) book. In Delhi, when terrorists were killed at Batla House, the 'madam' of the Congress could not stop tears. When Afzal Guru was sentenced to hang, people from this ecosystem reached the Supreme Court and the President," the PM said.

These people are now calling for "vote jihad" (religion based voting to stop the BJP), he pointed out. Slamming the Congress' manifesto, Modi said it as a sign of danger for the country. "INDI alliance leaders are asking Muslim voters to go for vote jihad. It is not something being uttered by a child studying in a madrassa but by Congress leaders who come from highly educated families," the PM said. "

"The kind of language that the Muslim League used, the narrative on which the country was divided are unfortunately the same on the basis of which they are seeking votes," he said.

The Congress leaves no opportunity to mock "our faith" but would it dare to make fun of anything related to other religions, the PM asked.

"They boycott the Ram Temple, they call Dwarka a lie. They say we will make Lord Shiva and Lord Ram fight and ensure Ram's defeat. The 'shehzada' of the Congress even ridiculed my offering prayers in submerged Dwarka. Therefore, I say we should be careful of the Congress," the PM said.

The Congress' politics started with false propaganda and has now fallen into despair, Modi said.

"The Congress has the same frustration and hatred towards the country's development that it once had for Gujarat. While India's stature is rising across the world, the shehzada of the Congress and his ecosystem go abroad and defame our country with long lectures," the PM said in a swipe at Rahul Gandhi.

When the Congress- led UPA was unseated in 2014, the country's economy was the 11th largest in the world, whereas India was ranked 6th when it gained Independence, the PM pointed out. "They were intellectuals. However, then came a chaiwala who had Gujarati blood and the economy rose to 5th rank," the PM said, adding he did not seek people's blessings for power, prestige and position but to fulfil the pledge of making India the third largest economy.

"You can imagine how much the world's attitude will change towards India when we achieve third rank. India will be self-reliant and will not have to spread its hand before the world for anything. I need blessings to make such an India," Modi asserted. Slamming the Congress' "scholars" for claiming that the country's economy would achieve third rank by itself and for stating that poverty can be removed in an instant, Modi said these persons had never thought about facing and overcoming challenges and solving problems. "When the intentions are clean, the results are grand," the PM emphasised.

Modi said he has three challenges for the Congress, and these are, firstly, giving in writing whether it would provide religion- based quota to Muslims by changing the Constitution, secondly, not taking away reservation benefits of Dalits, tribals and OBCs, and thirdly, that its state governments will not run a hidden agenda of including Muslims in the OBC segment.

"Will Modi stay silent when the country is facing such dangers? Will he ever allow the country to be divided? As long as Modi is alive, he will not allow the country to be divided again in the name of religion," he asserted. The Congress' leaders, instead of responding (to such challenges) are misleading the public, he added. Voting on 25 of Gujarat's 26 Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 7. The BJP has won the Surat seat unopposed.