What Did Manmohan Singh Say In His 'First Claim On Resources' Speech Referred To By PM Modi In Rajasthan?

A 20-second clip of the 'first claim on resources' speech is being shared on social media, highlighting only the part where Manmohan Singh refers to the Muslim community.

PM Modi, referring to Manmohan Singh's 'First Claim On Resources' speech has attacked the Congress

Source : Getty Images

Manmohan Singh Speech: Prime Minister Narendra Modi latched on to a 2006 speech by his predecessor Manmohan Singh to attack the Congress at a public meeting in Rajasthan on Sunday. He claimed that former PM Manmohan Singh's government had advocated the snatching of property from Hindus and distributing it among Muslims. He said this was what the Congress manifesto promised. "Manmohan Singh's government had said that Muslims had the first right to the nation's resources," PM Modi claimed.

कांग्रेस की अर्बन नक्सल सोच की नजर अब मेरी माताओं-बहनों के मंगलसूत्र पर है। क्या ऐसी कांग्रेस पर मेरे परिवारजन कभी भरोसा करेंगे। pic.twitter.com/sdPRObgbha

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 21, 2024

This is not the first time PM Modi referred to the Manmohan Singh speech at an election rally. Last year, in the run up to the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, he had at a public meeting referred to the speech to make the same claim.

#WATCH | Chhattisgarh: At Bastar's Jagdalpur PM Modi says, "Since yesterday, Congress leaders are saying 'jitni aabadi utna haq'... I was wondering what the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be thinking. He used to say that the minority has the first right to the… pic.twitter.com/m3KqCikIS4

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2023

The Congress slammed PM Modi for the "lie", and said such "shameless" remarks lead one to the question if "PM Modi's mental faculties are right". Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said PM Modi had stooped to a new level after the first phase of polling, which prompted him to make such comments, and that the country is actually voting on real issues.

इस देश का प्रधानमंत्री बेहद झूठा है. लेकिन आज नरेंद्र मोदी ने मर्यादा की वो सीमा लांघ डाली जो पाप है

‘मंगलसूत्र’ पर गंदी वाहियात टिप्पणी करके उन्होंने दाम्पत्य के सबसे पवित्र प्रतीक का अपमान किया है. हर ब्याहता का अपमान किया है

हद कर दी है. पर याद रखियेगा, हम भटकेंगे नहीं pic.twitter.com/DjyrKsUawd

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) April 21, 2024

 

पहले चरण के मतदान में निराशा हाथ लगने के बाद नरेंद्र मोदी के झूठ का स्तर इतना गिर गया है कि घबरा कर वह अब जनता को मुद्दों से भटकाना चाहते हैं।

कांग्रेस के ‘क्रांतिकारी मेनिफेस्टो’ को मिल रहे अपार समर्थन के रुझान आने शुरू हो गए हैं।

देश अब अपने मुद्दों पर वोट करेगा, अपने…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 21, 2024

But what did Manmohan Singh say in his address that PM Modi is mentioning time and again?

Manmohan Singh's National Development Council 2006 Speech

The speech in question was delivered at the meeting of the National Development Council by erstwhile Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 9, 2006. He had said resources must be allocated to uplift people from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes communities, backward classes, minorities, women, and children. He said that India needs to plan the development of minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, in a manner that they are "empowered to share equitably the fruits of development". 

"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 [sic]," reads the transcript of Manmohan Singh's speech in the government archive.

However, the part concerning "Muslims" was taken out of context, and has been shared as an isolated statement since. The BJP, which was in the Opposition back then, targeted the UPA government over this. Following the controversy, the government issued a clarification the next day, saying there was "a deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation" of what the Prime Minister had said at the meeting. It reproduced the transcript of his speech and said: "The Prime Minister's reference to 'first claim on resources' refers to all the 'priority' areas listed above, including programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children and minorities." The government's clarification further read: "While better-off sections of society will benefit from this process, it is the responsibility of the Government to pay special attention to the welfare of weaker and marginalized sections. The Prime Minister has said on several occasions that "India must shine, but shine for all." 

 

Excerpt of the government's clarification on Dec 10, 2006.

 

A 20-second clip is now being shared on social media, highlighting only the part where Manmohan Singh refers to the Muslim community.