PM Modi alleges Congress tried to give reservation for Muslims from Dalit quota

Jaipur, Apr 23 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Congress has tried to extend reservation on the basis of religion and give it to Muslims, and accused the party again of hatching a "deep conspiracy" to snatch people's wealth and distribute it among a "select" group.

In a blistering attack on the opposition party, he charged that it is difficult to follow one's faith under the Congress rule and even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes a crime.

His remarks at an election rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk came on the day the country celebrated Hanuman Jayanti.

"Modi is giving you a guarantee that reservation for Dalits and the backward tribals will neither end nor allowed to be divided in the name of religion," he said.

He said the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had given a speech in which he had said Muslims have the first right on the country’s resources.

"This was not a coincidence. This is not a single statement. The Congress ideology has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics.

“As soon as the Congress formed the government at the Centre in 2004, one of the first things it did was to reduce the SC/ST reservation in Andhra Pradesh and give it to Muslims," Modi said.

"This was a pilot project which the Congress wanted to try in the entire country,” he charged.

“Between 2004 and 2010, the Congress tried to implement Muslim reservation in Andhra Pradesh four times but due to legal hurdles and the awareness of the Supreme Court, it could not fulfil its intention," he claimed.

“In 2011, the Congress tried to implement it throughout the country. They played the game of snatching away the rights provided to the SC, ST and OBC and giving them to others for vote bank politics,” he said.

“The Congress did this deliberately and without caring about the Constitution and B R Ambedkar," he added.

Modi's speech at a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara had triggered a political row Sunday when he referred to the Congress manifesto and charged that the party was set to redistribute people’s wealth to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.

He made a similar remark -– but skipped the direct reference to Muslims – at an Uttar Pradesh rally on Monday. And he returned to the theme in Tonk on Tuesday.

The prime minister dared the Congress to “declare” openly that if it comes to power it would provide reservation to Muslims out of the quota for Dalits and tribals.

The prime minister said when the BJP government in Karnataka got an opportunity, it abolished the Muslim quota created by the Congress government out of the reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

He said the constitutional limit for reservation – in education and government jobs -- was ending in 2020 and he extended it for Dalits and the tribals for another 10 years.

Referring to his Sunday rally, Modi said the Congress and the opposition INDIA bloc were peeved after he “exposed” their vote bank and appeasement politics.

"I have put forth the truth before the country that the Congress is hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch your wealth and distribute it among select people," he said.

He claimed that when he exposed the vote bank politics of Congress, it angered the Congress and its INDI Alliance so much that they have started abusing him everywhere. Why is the Congress scared of the truth and “hiding” its policies, the prime minister asked.

"You made the policy and took the decision and when Modi exposed the secret and your hidden agenda came out, you are trembling," he said.

He said it was written in the Congress manifesto that they would “survey” people’s wealth.

"Their leader has said in a speech that X-ray of wealth will be done. This means that if something is kept in a box or hidden in a wall, it will be searched through X-ray,” Modi claimed.

They will then seize property from people who have more than what is required and distribute it among others, he added.

Modi also referred to an incident in Karnataka some weeks back when a shopkeeper was allegedly thrashed for playing Hanuman Chalisa. “Even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes crime under Congress rule," he said.

He claimed that during the Congress rule in Rajasthan, those who pelted stones on a Ram Navami procession were given protection and restrictions were imposed on such processions.

However, after the formation of the BJP government in the state, no one has the courage to question faith, he added.

"Now, you will recite Hanuman Chalisa peacefully and also celebrate Ram Navami. This is the guarantee of the BJP," he said.

The prime minister also accused the Congress of throwing Malpura, Karauli, Chhabra, Tonk and Jodhpur into the "fire of riots" during its term in Rajasthan.

He said had the BJP not come to power in 2014, stones would still be pelted on security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, enemies would cross the border to chop off the heads of Indian soldiers, and serials blasts take place.

"The Congress party finds new opportunities for corruption in the country's troubles. You people have freed yourself from the clutches of the Congress only a few months ago," he said referring to Congress defeat in the last assembly polls.

“The people of Rajasthan can never forget the wounds inflicted by the Congress while it was in power," he said.

Modi said he is dedicated to the Constitution and is a person who worships Babasaheb Ambedkar.

This was the prime minister's last election rally in Rajasthan where the final round of polling will take place on April 26. PTI