Keeping up his attack against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now termed the Congress’ manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections as a “stamp of the Muslim League”. The PM said that he initially kept quiet when the Opposition’s manifesto was released but was “forced to bring out the truth”.
In an interview with Network 18, PM Modi highlighted the significance of political party manifestos and simultaneously expressed disappointment in the media’s lack of response to scrutinize them. He said that he expected a stronger reaction from the media but observed that they echoed the Congress’s narrative without much critique.
“It is the work of the media to read the manifestos of every political party. I was waiting for the media to comment on it. I had commented on the manifesto on the first day. After seeing the manifesto, I feel that it has the stamp of the Muslim League. I thought that the media will be shocked. But they just kept saying whatever was presented by the Congress,” Modi said.
He also said that Congress has insulted BR Ambedkar by flouting the Constitution, and added that he feels obligated to alert the nation about the jeopardy facing reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Modi said that he believes it is imperative to educate the public about these things so that they can make an informed decision.
The Congress unveiled its Lok Sabha election manifesto titled ‘Nyay Patra’ on April 5. The manifesto showed that the party pledged to grant minorities the freedom to choose their attire, cuisine, language, and personal laws in the event of assuming power. Additionally, it committed to pursuing a constitutional amendment to elevate the 50% ceiling on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Intensifying his criticism of the Congress, Prime Minister Modi alleged that the party categorized Muslims as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) solely for political gain.
Upon assuming power in 2004, the Congress government’s initial action was to diminish the quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Andhra Pradesh, instead allocating reservations for Muslims, he said.
“When the Congress returned to power in 2004, it promptly moved to grant OBC quota to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. This move faced legal complications. The Indian Parliament had already mandated a 27% quota for OBCs, aligning with the fundamental principles of the Constitution. However, they attempted to appropriate this entire 27% quota,” PM Modi asserted.
The Prime Minister emphasized the Congress party’s decision to allocate the OBC quota to Muslims in 2011. He stated that the party attempted a similar strategy during the Uttar Pradesh elections, but it was unsuccessful.