Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the AIMIM, has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for seemingly equating Muslims with infiltrators in a speech at a public meeting on Sunday in Rajasthan's Banswara. The clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he is seemingly equating Muslims with infiltrators, is now at the centre of a storm. PM Modi sought to cite an old speech by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to claim that the Congress in its manifesto had promised to snatch wealth and distribute it among Muslims.
"The Congress is now in the grip of urban naxals. The Congress is now stuck in the quagmire of Leftists... Look at their manifesto. The Congress is trying to implement Maoism... The manifesto says if Congress wins the elections, every person's property will be surveyed. The gold and silver in the homes of our sisters and Adivasis will be evaluated, plot ownership will be inspected... All this gold and property will be distributed equally... The Congress is talking about snatching the mangalsutra of our mothers and sisters..." he said.
He continues: "The Manmohan Singh government had said that the Muslims have the first right to the resources of this country. This means the Congress will distribute this among those who have more children... among the infiltrators. Do you want infiltrators to enjoy your hard-earned money? This is what the Congress manifesto says."
Reacting to the remarks, Asaduddin Owaisi said: "Modi today called Muslims infiltrators and people with many children. Since 2002 till this day, the only Modi guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes. If one is talking about the country’s wealth, one should know that under Modi’s rule, the first right to India’s wealth has been of his wealthy friends. 1% of Indians own 40% of the country’s wealth. Common Hindus are made to fear Muslims while their wealth is being used to enrich others."
'Coward, Shameless': Congress Slams PM Modi's 'Lies'
The Congress, too, slammed PM Modi for "shamelessly" spreading "lies" and "communal hatred". Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate challenged: "The Prime Minister is a kaayar (coward). But more than that, he is shameless and communal. He has proven this in the speech... How dare you speak about mangalsutra? In which manifesto have you read that mangalsutra will be snatched? Show us where Congress has said that property will be snatched... Your lies have led to people questioning your mental stability," she said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that PM Modi's speech showed that he was scared: "Modiji's panicked speech showed that I.N.D.I.A will win the first-phase polls. What Modiji said is not only a hate speech but also a well-thought ploy to divert attention [from real issues]. The Prime Minister did what he learnt from the [Rashtriya Swayamsevak] Sangh. Lying for power, making baseless references, and levelling false accusations on opponents are the specialities of the training of the RSS and the BJP. The 140 crore people of the country are no longer going to fall prey to this lie."
"Our manifesto is for every Indian. It talks about equality for all. It talks about justice for all. The judiciary of the Congress is based on the foundation of truth, but it seems that the throne of the dictator in the form of Goebbels is now shaking. In the history of India, no Prime Minister has lowered the dignity of his post as much as Modiji has," Kharge said in an X post.
Manmohan Singh's 2006 Speech
The address by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that PM Modi was referring to in his Rajasthan speech was delivered at the meeting of the National Development Council on December 9, 2006. He was speaking about the proper allocation of resources for optimal development. A transcript of the speech available in the PMO archives reads: "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 overall resource availability. The Planning Commission will of course undertake a thorough review of ongoing programmes to eliminate those which have outlived their original rationale, but we cannot escape from the fact that the Centre's resources will be stretched in the immediate future and an increasing share of the responsibility will have to be shouldered by the states," the particular portion in question reads.