The controversy triggered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Rajasthan speech, wherein he alleged the Congress planned to give people's hard-earned money and valuables to "infiltrators" and "those who have more children", continues with INDIA bloc leaders slamming the Prime Minister for his remark.
In an election rally held on Sunday, Modi slammed the Congress manifesto while raking up former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech. "When they (Congress) were in government, they said that Muslims have the first right over India's resources. So, they will distribute this wealth (property and gold) among those having more children, among illegal immigrants...this Urban Naxal thinking won't even spare your Mangalsutra," the PM said.
To this, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said Modi's tactic has always been to divide. "This has always been his (PM Modi) tactic to divide. How to take the country forward is important. Leaving this aside, he is talking about Hindu-Muslim, Scheduled Caste, and Other Backward Caste. He is doing all this for votes, not for the benefit of the country," said Kharge.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too hit out at the BJP for their "lies" stating speaking wrong things about a particular community by naming it is an insult to that community spread across the world".
He said, "This is a very objectionable statement which cannot be forgiven." In a post in Hindi on X, Yadav said, "Saying wrong things about a particular community by naming it is an insult to that community spread across the world. At the international level, this has hurt the secular and democratic identity of the country.
The CPI(M) too has filed a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks in Rajasthan. In a statement, the CPI(M) said party leaders Brinda Karat and Pushpinder Singh Grewal approached the Mandir Marg SHO to lodge a complaint against Modi. "Since the Mandir Marg police station refused to accept the complaint, it has been sent to the commissioner of police, Delhi," the party said.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah also said attempts were being made to divide the country along communal lines and the INDIA bloc is fighting against those trying to spread hatred and fear. "The country is being told that Hindus are in danger," he said, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "redistribution of wealth" attack against the Congress.
"Attempts are being made to create tension... Hindus constitute 80 per cent of the population, while the Muslims constitute about 14 per cent. How can 14 per cent of the population be a danger to the 80 per cent," Abdullah asked, addressing an election rally in Shopian.
DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin too hit out at the PM stating Modi has resorted to hate speech to avoid imminent defeat. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's toxic speech is vile and highly deplorable. Fearing public anger against his failures, Modi has attempted to whip up religious sentiments and resorted to hate speech to avoid what seems to be an imminent defeat. Hate and discrimination are the real guarantees of Modi," Stalin said in a post on X.
NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar lashed out at the Prime Minister, comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said former prime ministers worked to make a new India but PM Narendra Modi only criticises others and doesn't speak about what his government had done for the people in the last ten years.
"After Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, I saw the working of almost all PMs ranging from Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Narasimha Rao to Manmohan Singh. Their efforts were to make a new India, but the incumbent PM only criticises," Pawar said. He said that no one in history can forget the contribution of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru but the prime minister (Modi) continuously criticises him.
"Instead of telling what the Central government did in the last ten years, he (Modi) keeps criticising others. We fear that a new Putin is in the making in India", he said.
