'Haven't Spoken A Word...': PM Modi Denies Targeting Minorities, Says BJP 'Not Ready To Accept Special Citizens'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi denies allegations of making anti-minority statements amid the Lok Sabha elections 2024 campaigning while accusing the Congress of doing 'vote bank politics'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interview with PTI, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 19, 2024. ( Image Source :PTI )

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly denied allegations of making anti-minority statements, asserting that neither he nor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ever acted against minorities. In an interview with PTI Videos late Sunday, Modi clarified his stance amid opposition claims that his election speeches are divisive and polarising. "I have not spoken a word against minorities. I am only talking against the vote bank politics of Congress. Congress is working against the Constitution, that’s what I have been saying," the Prime Minister stated.

He highlighted that the framers of India’s Constitution, including B.R. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, intended that there be no reservations based on religion. "Now you are turning away from that. It is my responsibility to expose them," he added, pointing out that at the time of drafting the Constitution, there were no members from his party in the Constituent Assembly, which comprised eminent individuals from across the nation.

Emphasising the BJP's commitment to inclusive development, Modi remarked, "BJP has never been against minorities. Not just today but never." He further criticised the Congress for allegedly pursuing appeasement politics. "Their politics is that of appeasement. My politics is that of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. We believe in ‘sarva dharma sambhav’. We want to take everyone along with us. We are not ready to accept anyone as special citizens but consider everyone equal," he said.

When asked whether he believed the Congress would redistribute wealth from Hindus to Muslims, Modi dismissed the notion as an illogical campaign tactic. "To campaign without any logic is a sin. I have never committed such a sin nor will I want to. Such an illogical campaign has been done by them (opposition)," he asserted.

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Here's what PM Modi (@narendramodi) told PTI (@PTI_News) in response to a query on Congress manifesto.

"It is not about my belief. To campaign without logic is a sin. I have never committed such a sin, nor do I want to. Such an illogical… pic.twitter.com/OoytmSVjbF

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 20, 2024

Modi criticised the Congress for not rebutting his claims about their manifesto, which he said seemed to be influenced by the Muslim League. "Congress party should have rebutted me the same day and should have said ‘Modi ji this is not correct'. But because they remained silent, it seemed to me that I will have to gradually educate the people of India," he explained.

However, it must be noted that the Congress has responded to the claims decrying the 'Muslim League imprint' remark. It also outrightly denies promising wealth redistribution and asserts that its manifesto does not make any reference to the same. The grand old party had also approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to condemn PM Modi's statements including the one where he said, "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.".

Congress leaders have accused Modi of misrepresenting their manifesto. Nonetheless, in his Rajasthan speech in April, Modi referenced former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 2006 remarks at a National Development Council meeting and later criticised the Congress government in Karnataka for including all Muslims under the OBC reservation category, calling it a "robbery on OBC quota".

PM Modi Claims Congress Manifesto Promises Reservations For Minorities In Awarding Tenders

In the PTI interview, Modi went on to claim that the Congress manifesto promises reservations for minorities in awarding tenders and questioned the impact on national development. "You want to make a bridge. Who will bid for the tender? Someone with resources, expertise, technology. But if you want to bring reservations there also, what will happen to my country’s development?" he asked.

"I believe that it is these people who have destroyed the spirit of secularism in our Constitution for their electoral politics. I want to restore that spirit of the Constitution. That’s why it is necessary to expose these people," Modi concluded.

It must be noted that the Congress manifesto does not mention any religion-based reservation and pertaining to quotas, the grand old party has promised to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC.

"The scope of the Public Procurement Policy will be expanded to award more public works contracts to contractors belonging to the SC and ST communities," the manifesto states regarding tender allotment.