Noida, 23 April (HS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never done politics on the basis of religion or dividing society, and that his predecessor, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had discussed expanding Muslim reservation in 2006.
The defence minister spoke at an election rally in Greater Noida in favour of the BJP's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha candidate Mahesh Sharma.
Prime Minister Modi claimed on Sunday that if the Congress party wins power, it will allocate people's riches to Muslims, citing Dr Singh's comment that the minority population had first claim to the country's resources. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, Modi also said that the Congress intends to give people's hard-earned money and assets to infiltrators and those with more children.
Addressing a crowd in Noida, the defence minister chastised the opposition for stirring up trouble at this time and attempting to call PM Modi into question. “Sisters and brothers, I don't know PM from today. We have had really good relations for a long time. He has never participated in Hindu, Muslim, or Christian politics,” HE opined. Singh stated that our Prime Minister never considered dividing society for political purposes.
He (Modi) stated at one point that Congress has promised in its manifesto to assess properties. “If it is stated in the manifesto, why should anyone disagree to it? What do you aim to accomplish by having properties surveyed? Do you want to spread the country's resources equally? What would you like to do? he quipped.
The veteran BJP leader also requested Congress to clarify its view on the topic.
“Dr. Manmohan Singh ji was the Prime Minister of India. Even now, I admire Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, brothers and sisters. Dr. Manmohan Singh personally stated at a meeting of the National Defence Council at the Vigyan Bhawan on December 9, 2006, that if anybody has first claim to the country's property, it is the minority, and specifically Muslims.
Sisters and brothers, whatever property and resources exist in our nation, everyone should have equal rights; he stated this, but we did not. When the prime minister mentioned this, these folks reacted angrily,” he added.
Singh stated that the Congress-led government had previously constituted multiple committees, each of which suggested in its report that 6% of the 27% reservation for OBCs should go to Muslims and 2% to minorities. We did not create this commission, he added.
Singh escalated his criticism on the Congress, saying, It did not stop here. If a Scheduled Caste converts, he should be granted reservation notwithstanding the change in faith. Not only that, but they (Congress) also eliminated SC-ST reservations at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. These men founded the government by dividing the nation evenly between Hindus and Muslims, he claimed.
The top BJP official emphasized that his party does not want to divide the nation based on caste, creed, religion, Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, but rather wants to make India a great country of the world by uniting everyone.
Hindusthan Samachar/Abhishek Awasthi/Manoj
