‘Stop Attempts to Scare Me’: PM Modi Challenges Congress With Another Manmohan Clip on ‘Resources For Muslims’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday “challenged” the Congress to stop making attempts to “scare him”, referring to another video by former PM Manmohan Singh from 2009, in which he is seen reiterating that “minorities, especially poor Muslims, should get priority when it comes to the nation’s resources”.

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Modi said, “When I talk about the Congress prioritising Muslims or highlight the behaviour of INDI Alliance in front of the nation, they get angry and start attacking me. Their ecosystem has been lashing out at me for a week. I challenge all of them today…They should understand that they tried to scare me for 25 years, but failed. Now they should stop these attempts.”

“They even went on to say that former PM Dr Manmohan Singh ji had never said that Muslims have the first right over the country’s resources. But today, another video of Singh has surfaced where he is seen saying the same thing…Even some sections of the media attacked me without fact-check, but now the video has come out…Now they have gone completely silent…”

THE 2009 VIDEO

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posted on X a video from April 2009, in which Singh reiterated his stance on minorities. “In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, Dr Manmohan Singh, reiterated his statement that minorities, especially poor Muslims, should get priority when it comes to the nation’s resources. He categorically stated that he stood by his earlier assertion that Muslims should have first right when it comes to resources,” the BJP wrote.

“This unequivocal assertion by Dr Manmohan Singh demolishes the Congress’s canards and clarifications on his previous statement. It supports our assertion that preferential treatment to Muslims is a clear policy of the Congress Party. This is further proof of the Congress mindset to give preference to Muslims in everything, from reservation to resources,” the BJP added.

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Commenting on Singh’s 2009 video, BJP National President JP Nadda said, “Manmohan Singh did not make that statement mistakenly. He did it deliberately because while answering a question in April 2009 – during a press conference in Mumbai – he stood by his statement and said that minorities, especially Muslims, should be given priority and the first right to resources of the country should be theirs.”

“Through Sachar Committee Report, false statements were made and it was said that Muslims are in worse shape than Dalits. It means that the Congress was already creating a base to declare Muslims SC and provide facilities of SC reservations to them…Congress hates SC, ST and OBC because majority of the population in the country comprises them and this is Congress party’s manifesto,” Nadda added.

THE TRIGGER

The Congress-BJP war of words over the issue began on April 6 when Rahul Gandhi mentioned wealth re-distribution and said, “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, and 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.”

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The BJP wasted no time and attacked Gandhi and the Congress, alleging their plan was to give priority to Muslims. PM Modi questioned if the Congress would re-distribute wealth amongst the Muslim community, linking it to a statement of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2006, where he spelt out who should be the first to have claim over the country’s resources.

The fight over the issue intensified further when the Congress government in Karnataka included Muslims under the OBC category to grant them reservation in employment and educational institutions under the state. Modi said, “Once again, the Congress has given reservation based on religion in Karnataka through the backdoor by putting all Muslim castes along with the OBCs. By doing so, it has snatched a big chunk of reservation from the OBC community. The Congress indulged in this dangerous game which will destroy your (future) generations. It is the biggest enemy of the OBCs.”