Lok Sabha Elections: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday came down heavily on the Congress and said that the manifesto of the grand old party has “hands of foreign forces." While speaking in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur, Thakur alleged that the Congress wants to divide the nation on caste and regionalism. "In the Congress manifesto, along with the hand of the Congress, hands of foreign forces are also visible who want to give your children's property to Muslims, finish the nations nuclear weapons, divide the nation on castism and regionalism,” Anurag Thakur claimed.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader remarked that people have to decide whether the children's property should remain with them or go to Muslims. He further emphasised that the saffron party wants to give all rights to Muslims equally, but not based on religion.
“The 'Tukde-tukde' gang has surrounded Congress completely and has hijacked their ideology... You have to decide whether you want to go with Congress' 'Tukde-tukde' gang or Narendra Modi who believes in 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat'. You have to decide whether the children's property should remain with them or should it go to Muslims. We gave all rights to Muslims, equally... But we did not give it based on religion, we gave it because it was their right... When Rajiv Gandhi became the PM, there was a law that 55% of property would go to the government, but he abolished this law and saved his property. Now, Rahul Gandhi did not get married so he wants to take away your children's property. Gandhi family does whatever suits them," Thakur said.
Thakur's remarks come days after the Election Commission issued a notice to BJP chief JP Nadda over PM Modi's speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara.
Followed In Footsteps Of PM Modi: Congress Slams Anurag Thakur
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh lashed out on Anurag Thakur and said that he followed in the footsteps of PM Modi and the UP Chief Minister and made a most outrageous speech that violates all standards of decency and truth. In a post on X, Ramesh said that the Congress has written to the EC and asked it to take note of the speech and issue a notice to the BJP MP.
"@INCIndia has written to the ECI to take note of the speech and issue Mr. Thakur a notice immediately. The ECI must realise that a lack of meaningful action emboldens these bad faith actions. And if they do not take action then we will name and shame these offenders who think they are above the law, both in the arena of the public as well as before the courts," Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
EC Notices To BJP, Congress
The Election Commission issued notices to BJP President JP Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over violations of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.
Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation complaint against a sitting prime minister, the apex poll body issued a notice to J P Nadda on the opposition's charge that PM Modi gave a divisive speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara, as reported by news agency PTI.
The EC also issued a notice to Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking a response to the complaints filed by the saffron party against him and the main opposition party’s senior leader, Rahul Gandhi, regarding their remarks.
In the notice sent to Nadda, the Election Commission sought his response by Monday to the complaints filed by the Congress, CPI, CPI (ML), and civil society groups regarding the remarks made by Modi on April 21 in Banswara.
According to PTI, these complaints referred to Modi’s allegations that the Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won’t even spare the ‘mangalsutra’ of women.
The EC also asked the BJP chief to bring to the notice of all-star campaigners of the party to “set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of the model code of conduct in letter and spirit”.
The poll body also stated that campaign speeches made by those holding high positions have more serious consequences. Officials said it is the first time that the panel has taken cognisance of a complaint against any prime minister, as reported by PTI. The EC has invoked provisions of the Representation of the People Act to hold party presidents as the first step to rein in star campaigners.
The EC notices to the two-party presidents did not directly name either the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi, or Kharge, but the representations received by it were attached to the respective letters, and they contained details of allegations against the three leaders.
The BJP, on the other hand, had written to the EC that Gandhi levelled malafide and utterly sinister allegations against Modi during a speech in Kottayam, Kerala, where he alleged that the prime minister was pushing for one nation, one language, and one religion, as reported by PTI.
The BJP said that in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Gandhi alleged that the prime minister was attacking “our language, history, and tradition”. It also accused Kharge of violating the model code by claiming that he was not invited to the Ram temple consecration ceremony due to discrimination against SCs and STs.