The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Monday that following the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and the INDIA bloc face imminent defeat, marking the beginning of the opposition front’s disintegration.
Speaking at a rally in Jhargram, West Bengal, Modi accused Congress leaders of communalism, alleging that they intend to take away the reservations of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to give them to Muslims. “After the fifth phase of polls, the TMC and the INDIA alliance stand defeated. After June 4, the opposition bloc will cease to exist. The countdown of the disintegration of the INDIA alliance has begun,” he stated.
Modi accused the Congress of being a communal party that still harbors the mindset of the Muslim League. He claimed, “The Congress wants to give reservation benefits to the Muslims by snatching the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs. The Congress leaders are 100 percent communal. This is the truth of Congress, which the party and its ecosystem did not allow to be revealed to the countrymen for years.”
The Prime Minister mentioned being asked about Muslim reservation in recent interviews and referred to a viral video where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi allegedly emphasizes Muslim reservations. “On one hand, Manmohan Singh had said Muslims had the first right to Bharat’s resources. On the other, the Shehzada of Congress, in a video surfaced on social media, is seen saying Congress will give reservation to Muslims,” Modi said, using “Shehzada” as a term to mock Rahul Gandhi and criticize Congress’s dynasty politics.
Modi claimed to have seen the video of Rahul Gandhi, which he said is 11-12 years old, where Gandhi allegedly speaks about providing reservations to Muslims. He criticized the INDIA bloc for wanting to give reservations based on religion, contrary to Babasaheb Ambedkar’s principles. “Babasaheb Ambedkar was against providing reservations based on religion. But now, the INDIA bloc wants to give reservations based on religion. In Karnataka, they gave OBC reservations to Muslims. Do you want to put an end to your reservations?” he asked.
The Prime Minister also criticized the Congress for its long-standing slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ (remove poverty), claiming that it was he who made India the world’s fifth-largest economy and pulled 25 crore people out of poverty.
Due to poor weather conditions, Modi’s chopper couldn’t land in Tamluk, so he addressed the rally virtually from Jhargram.