Amid the ongoing row which sparked after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "infiltrators" remark against Muslims and the 2006 speech by former PM Manmohan Singh which was unearthed during a public meeting in Rajasthan by PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday was seen backing the remarks made by the PM.
"Manmohan Singh's government had said that Muslims had the first right to the nation's resources," PM Modi claimed.
Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar on April 23, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended PM Modi saying,"Pradhan mantri pe prashan chihn uthaya ja rha hai.. mai unhe achhe se janta hu... unhone kabhi bhi Hindu Muslim aur Isai ki rajneeti nhi ki..unhe baant ke rajneeti karne ka humare pradhan mantri ne kabhi socha hi nhi."
"People are pointing fingers at PM Modi.. I have known him for a long time... He has never played the politics of Hindu-Muslim or Christian.. He does not believe in divisive politics."
"Unhone ek sthan pe kha ki Congress ne apne ghoshna patra mei kha hai ki hum sampattiyo ka survey karvaenge...Iss par logo ko Kyu apatti honi chahiye... Aap survey karva ke kya karna chahte hai?? batwara karna chahte hai samaj ka? Congress ke logo se kehna chahta hu ki apko apni sthiti saaf karni chahiye," he added.
"He said at one point that Congress has stated in its manifesto that we will conduct a survey of assets...Why should people have objections to this? What do you want to do by conducting a survey? Do you want to divide the society? I want to tell the people of Congress that you should clarify your position," he added.
Backing PM Modi's claims in context with the speech, he said,"Dr. Manmohan Singh is our Prime Minister, and I have a lot of respect for him... He himself said in a meeting of the National Defence Council at Vigyan Bhawan on 9 December 2006 that if anyone has a right over the wealth of this country, it belongs first to the minority, and he specifically mentioned Muslims,"
"Desh ki sampatti aur sansadhano pe sabka samaan adhikar hona chahiye."
"There should be equal rights for everyone on the country's wealth and resources," the Defence minister said.
Speaking at a public meeting in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh said: "Humara noida ab corruption ka centre nhi rha hai par bharat ka business centre ban gya hai" which means that Uttar Pradesh is no longer a corruption centre but has transformed into India's buisness centre.
Singh took up the Herculean task of placating Rajputs in Uttar Pradesh ahead of Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is facing the wrath of the Rajputs, which accuses the saffron party of "ignoring" the interests of the community.
The Rajputs at a 'chaubisi mahapanchayat [grand meeting of 24 villages]' last week decided to boycott the BJP after General VK Singh, a Rajput, was reportedly denied a Lok Sabha ticket by the top brass. The Rajput community, which reportedly comprises nearly 10% UP's population, announced its support for SP's Muzaffarnagar candidate Harendra Malik.
Rajnath Singh, a prominent Rajput face of the BJP, spoke about how the crime rate in UP has significantly come down in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party mking the establishment of Ayodhya Ram Mandir possible, and how the state which once came under poor category is now on its way to reaching a 1 trillion economy.
He also said that under the Yogi-led government the crime rate has gone down significantly in the state and the state is now focusing on reaping the fruits of increased investment.
He further said that the BJP led government in has silenced the fear spread by criminals due to which people had previously been migrating. Now, the state is no longer known for crime but is known for its tourist spots.
The defence minister also spoke about Jewar Airport saying that the governments prior to the saffron party's rule did not do anything about it but after BJP-led government came to power, the airport construction is actively taking place.
Singh also mentioned about how Prime Minister made it possible for the Indian students stuck in Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war to return to India safely.
"The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for almost two years which has seen offensives being launched from both the countries. 28-30 India students pursuing their studies in Ukraine were stuck there amid the war. Their parents met PM Modi and requested him to rescue the children. PM Modi, without a second thought spoke to both Putin and Zelenskyy, as a result of which the war was stopped for 4.5 hours and the Indian students were able to return to India safely," he said.