Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message in Rajasthan is based on three statements from the Congress camp that are “on record” — Rahul Gandhi’s statement on April 6 about wealth re-distribution promise, Manmohan Singh’s statement in 2006 about the first right of minorities, and Congress manifesto that speaks about minorities getting their fair share, BJP sources have told News18.
“It is the Congress which needs to explain what its intentions are through such statements and promises,” a top BJP leader told News18, reiterating that the prime minister has cornered the Congress on its agenda.
Rahul Gandhi, on April 6, had mentioned the re-distribution as a sequel to the already-promised caste census. The BJP leader said that the Constitution nowhere has a provision for such an exercise and hence, it is raising doubts amongst the public.
BJP has also questioned the “affirmative action” promise of the Congress in its manifesto post a caste census and socio-economic survey, and wants the Congress to clarify what it means by saying in the manifesto that “we will ensure that the minorities receive their fair share of opportunities in education, healthcare, public employment, public works contracts, skill development, sports and cultural activities without discrimination”.
“We will do a caste census so that the backwards, SCs, STs, poor of general castes and minorities get to know how much they account for in the country. After that, we will do a financial and institutional survey to find who holds the country’s wealth, what section holds it, and then we will undertake revolutionary work. Whatever is your right, we will work on giving you the same. Be it media, bureaucracy, or all institutions — we will create space for you there and give you your right,” Rahul Gandhi had said, as per his speech uploaded on Congress party website.
The prime minister has attacked this particular statement to question if the Congress would re-distribute wealth amongst the Muslim community, linking it to a statement of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 on who should have the first right to the country’s resources.
The PMO in 2006 had clarified that Singh meant the “first claim on resources” would be of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children, and minorities. However, the BJP put out portions of Singh’s 2006 speech to show that he had said: “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.”
BJP leaders say the UPA government had set up the Sachar Committee to look into the situation of minorities, especially Muslims, in the country and Manmohan Singh is on record in earlier statements speaking about the condition of Muslims and had said that it was “incumbent upon any democratically elected government to redress such imbalances and eradicate such inequities. I assure you, our Government is indeed committed to doing this”.
One of the points of the Congress manifesto says: “We will ensure that the minorities receive their fair share of opportunities in education, healthcare, public employment, public works contracts, skill development, sports and cultural activities without discrimination.” The BJP is combining all these statements on record of the Congress to attack the opposition party in these elections.
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