New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial election speech in Rajasthan, in which he mentioned that the Congress party would “allocate assets to infiltrators” if it wins the 2024 election, has raised eyebrows in India A strong appeal from BJP leader Tejashwi Yadav.

“I have only this to say to the Prime Minister… I say this with folded hands. Please talk about the real issues and leave this politics of hate behind. The young and old, farmers and businessmen, mothers and Sisters… all have the same problem,” the former Bihar deputy chief minister said.

“Everyone wants to find work to overcome poverty and cope with the rising cost of living…so I ask the Prime Minister again to discuss these real issues and tell us what you have done for the country and the people over the past ten years. Harbang?” Mr Yadav told reporters in Patna.

“What is your real vision for the state in Bihar…? He is not talking about this but shouting about the temple (referring to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the BJP has made its construction a core election issue) and Muslims, that’s not good…”

Read | Manmohan Singh’s 2006 speech, PM’s ‘wealth of infiltrators’ slam

Modi’s speech this weekend in Banswara, Rajasthan, triggered a backlash from the opposition and some civil society activists. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi slammed the “lies” and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said the prime minister’s only “guarantee” was “mistreatment of Muslims…”

Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a member of India’s Congress-led opposition bloc, also condemned the prime minister’s “lies”.

What did PM Modi say in Rajasthan?

In Banswara on Sunday, Mr Modi said, “Mothers and sisters, this ‘urban Naxal’ mentality, they will not even leave your ‘mangalsutra’. They can reach that level …The Congress manifesto said they will use mothers and sisters to get information and then allocate the property to whom – the Manmohan Singh government has said Muslims have priority over the assets.”

Read | Controversy after PM says ‘Congress will allocate assets to infiltrators’

“Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they said that Muslims have the first right to the assets of the country. This means to whom will these properties be distributed? It will be distributed to those who have more children . Who will it be distributed to? “Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrator?” ” He said.

What did Manmohan Singh say in 2006?

Modi was referring to a statement made by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a National Development Council meeting on the government’s financial priorities in December 2006, whom he had heaped praise on in February. Call it an “inspiring role model.”

According to the Prime Minister’s Office at the time, Dr. Singh had said: “…we must develop innovative plans to ensure that minorities, especially Muslim minorities, have a fair share of the fruits of development. They must have priority regarding resource……”

PM Modi’s battle with Congress ahead of polls

Modi’s lash out on Sunday came as he and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party stepped up attacks on the Congress party and the India Bloc. Earlier, in Rajasthan’s Jalore, he claimed that the country would “punish” the party for its “sins”.

Mr Modi and the BJP had also earlier accused the Congress party’s election manifesto of being “the hallmark of the Muslim League” and “a bunch of lies”. “The Congress has published a series of lies in its manifesto… every page reeks of an attempt to divide India. It reflects the thinking of the Muslim League before independence,” the prime minister said at Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh said at a voting rally.

Read | ‘Its best friend…’: M Kharge on BJP’s ‘Muslim League imprint’ jab

The remark drew a sharp rebuttal from Congress president Mallikarjun Haq. Slamming the BJP and its ideological mentor the BJP, he said “everyone knows how (Syama) Prasad Mukherjee” formed governments in Bengal, Sindh and North-West Frontier Province in the 1940s of. Alliance with the Muslim League”.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections began on Friday with voting for 102 seats in 21 states and union territories, including 12 of the 25 seats in Rajasthan. The next phase of voting will take place on April 26.

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