New Delhi: The Congress on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for trying to polarise the electorate during the ongoing national polls and twisting the remarks of former PM Manmohan Singh.
The Congress, which is planning to approach the Election Commission of India over the PM’s remarks made during a recent rally in Rajasthan, also urged the poll body to take suo motu notice of Modi’s comments.
“This is deplorable and totally unbecoming of a Prime Minister of 140 crore people of the country. If this is the level to which the PM is stooping, it will reflect very poorly on the high constitutional office he occupies. These references to Hindu-Muslim are clearly attempts to polarize the elections,” Congress Rajya Sabha member and senior Supreme Court advocate Vivek Tankha told ETV Bharat.
“I am sure the party will approach the Election Commission over the matter but the EC should take suo motu notice of such hate speeches by the PM. Otherwise, people’s faith in democracy and constitutional institutions would be shaken,” he said.
The Congress veteran was referring to the PM’s remarks made during a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday in which Modi said the grand old party wanted to distribute the country’s wealth among those who had more children and were infiltrators, if voted to power. The PM further charged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims had the first right over the country’s resources.
“The PM is telling a lie. He has a habit of doing so. No other former PM spoke such lies. I challenge the PM to show if the Congress manifesto makes any reference to Hindu-Muslim. Our social welfare guarantees are for all the marginalized sections of society. The Hindu-Muslim divide is in the PM’s mind,” Congress media head Pawan Khera told ETV Bharat.
“Former premier Manmohan Singh never made a reference to religion while talking about distribution of national resources,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha member said such divisive comments by the PM reflected the unease within the BJP after the phase 1 elections on April 19.
“Obviously, they have sensed a loss in the phase 1 polling. Hence, the PM is resorting to communal polarization to make up for the remaining phases. Some time ago he was talking about non-veg food and now it is about the Muslims. Nowhere is the PM talking about work done by his government over the past 10 years,” said Tankha.
“The PM is desperate as the people are talking about our manifesto which has promised welfare for everyone as compared to the BJP. Such attempts would not work anymore. It seems these words are not of a PM but of a BJP leader who is nervous. It seems the BJP looks set to remain under 100 seats,” AICC in charge of Tamil Nadu Ajoy Kumar told ETV Bharat.
“That is why we are flagging the need to protect the constitution and the constitutional institutions. There should be a level playing field for all the political parties and leaders,” he added.
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