Spark News India Igniting Minds Daily
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to the defense of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, asserting that he has merely echoed the sentiments of the people. This comes after the opposition criticized PM Modi’s remarks made at a poll rally in Rajasthan as being communally divisive.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia addressed reporters, stating that the opposition’s discomfort stems from PM Modi’s candid reflection on their past actions. Bhatia further alleged that the opposition INDIA bloc prioritizes those who have illegally entered the country over citizens, particularly if they happen to be Muslims.
During a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, PM Modi claimed that the Congress intends to distribute people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children.” He said, “Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children.”
In response, the Congress accused PM Modi of trying to create communal polarization for electoral gains. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal stated that PM Modi was quoting something that was not present in the Congress manifesto and accused him of fueling “communal polarization” in the country.
In defense of PM Modi, Gaurav Bhatia referenced a statement made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006. Bhatia asked whether Singh had not stated that minorities, especially Muslims, have the first rights to the country’s resources. He criticized the UPA government, calling it a black chapter in Indian democracy and stating that if the INDIA alliance feels ashamed, it’s their problem.
Bhatia’s reference was to Singh’s statement at the 52nd Meeting of the National Development Council in 2006, where Singh had said, “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the overall resource availability.”
