New Delhi, Apr 22: Amid the massive row over his remarks at Rajasthan's Banswara, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today doubled down on his property redistribution charge at the Congress, alleging that the Opposition party is eyeing the property of citizens and wants to loot it.
Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh, he said members of the INDIA Opposition bloc have lost all hope for the future. “They question why Modi talks of a developed India, why he talks of making India the world's third-largest economy. These people don't do anything except for their families and their greed for power. They cheat people,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he wants to warn the country against Congress's manifesto. “Congress and INDI alliance are now eyeing your income, your property,” he said. Apparently referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said, “Congress's prince has said that if they form the government, they will do investigate who earns how much, owns how much wealth and how many houses. He also says that the government will take control of your property and distribute it among everyone. Their manifesto says this.”
The Congress manifesto, which the Prime Minister referred to, calls for a nationwide socio-economic and caste census to provide the data foundation for affirmative action.
Under the Social Justice section, the manifesto says, “Congress has been the most vocal and active champion of the progress of the backward and oppressed classes and castes over the last seven decades. However, caste discrimination is still a reality. The people belonging to the SC, ST and OBC communities have not yet been able to catch up with the rest and are still left behind. While OBC, SC and ST constitute nearly 70 per cent of India's population, their representation in high-ranking professions, services and businesses is disproportionately low. No progressive modern society should tolerate such inequality or discrimination based on ancestry and the consequent denial of equal opportunity.”
The manifesto says that if elected, the Congress will conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census. “Congress will conduct a nation-wide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions. Based on the data, we will strengthen the agenda for affirmative action.” The manifesto does not say anything about a plan to redistribute private property.
At Aligarh, the Prime Minister repeated his ‘mangalsutra' remark, alleging that the Congress plans to change the law and take away women's jewellery. “They also want to survey how much salaried persons have invested in fixed deposits, how many vehicles they own, how much land they own. They will conduct this survey and seize your property,” he said.
The Prime Minister alleged that if someone owns an ancestral home at the village and buys a flat in the city, the Congress will take away one of the houses. “Congress will say you already own a home and you don't need another. This is a Maoist mindset, a Communist mindset, they have ruined many nations. The Congress and INDI alliance want to apply this in India,” he said.
The Prime Minister's remarks in Aligarh come a day after his comments in Rajasthan's Banswara sparked a massive row. Alleging that the Congress plans to conduct a survey and redistribute private property, the Prime Minister claimed that when the Congress was in power under Dr Manmohan Singh, it said Muslims have the first right on the country's wealth. “This means that they will gather this property and distribute it among people who have more children, among infiltrators. Will your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you accept this?” The remarks, especially the references to Muslims, drew sharp criticism from the Opposition.
A Congress delegation met the Election Commission of India this afternoon and demanded strict action over the Prime Minister's speech. Party leader Abhishek Singhvi told the media that the Prime Minister had equated a community with “infiltrators” and brought in Hindu imagery in the form of his references to ‘mangalsutra'. “The Prime Minister has clearly violated the model code of conduct and targeted the Constitution,” he said, adding that this is a question of the poll body's credibility. “The Election Commission is on trial,” he said.
Earlier, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X that the Prime Minister's remarks in Rajasthan amounted to hate speech and were aimed at diverting public attention. “The country's 140 crore people won't be misled by lies. Our manifesto talks of equality, justice for all,” he said.
