Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced criticism from the Congress party on Sunday after suggesting that if the Congress were to come to power, it would redistribute wealth to Muslims. During a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, Modi referenced former PM Manmohan Singh's alleged statement regarding the minority community's claim on the country's resources


In his address, Modi stated, "This urban-naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your 'Mangalsutra'. They can go to that level." He further claimed, "The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom - Manmohan Singh's government had said that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets."


"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. It will distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?" he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.






However, the Congress party has clarified that while their manifesto addresses economic inequalities, it does not advocate for wealth redistribution, but rather supports a comprehensive socio-economic caste census, news agency PTI reported.


The grand old party had asserted that Rahul Gandhi did not promise redistribution of the nation's wealth in Hyderabad on April 7, 2024.  Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh issued this clarification after Rahul Gandhi was reported as talking about the need to conduct a survey for more equitable distribution of the country’s wealth.


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Congress Challenges PM Modi On Manifesto Claim, Says 'Your Name Will Go To History's Dustbin'


Responding to Modi's allegations, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera challenged the Prime Minister to show if the word Hindu or Muslim is written anywhere in the party manifesto. He said, "The Prime Minister lied to the country again, will you keep lying to win an election?... Now you are serving another lie to the country in the name of Hindu-Muslim."


Khera emphasised the Congress manifesto's focus on justice for various sections of society, including youth, women, and workers. "The Congress manifesto speaks of 'Nyaay' (justice) for the youth, women, and workers, he stressed. "Our Nyay Patra shows a mirror to the Prime Minister and what he has done for 10 years that is just evoking Hindu-Muslim. You should be ashamed of lying and dividing the country," he added.






The Congress leader "thanked" PM Modi saying that his remarks were making people read the grand old party's manifesto to find the truth.


He asked Narendra Modi to retire "respectfully" saying, "Several educated and experienced figures have graced the Prime Minister's chair before you and no one lied the way you did. After you, good people will become Prime Minister but no one will lie like you. Your name will go to history's dustbin. Forgive us, we have learned this language from you."


Additionally, TMC MP Saket Gokhale criticised Modi's remarks, saying that he is resorting to hate speech. "Modi has realized that no one is buying his “guarantee” rubbish anymore & that he’s a liar. So he’s back to doing the only thing he knows - spewing hate speech. EC is sleeping as usual & won’t act. But fact - Modi is rattled beyond imagination. The Congress party has denounced Modi's claims as misrepresentation and urged for a focus on substantive issues rather than divisive rhetoric," he posted on X.






Manmohan Singh's 'First Claim' Remark


PM Modi's remarks were a direct reference to ex-PM Manmohan Singh's controversial "first claim" remark made in 2006. At that time, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a statement had criticised "deliberate and mischievous" attempts to "misinterpret" then-PM Singh's remark who was quoted saying, "I believe our collective priorities are clear agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children."


"The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. 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 over-all resource availability," he added.