New Delhi: Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nasty election speech in Rajasthan's Banswara has triggered a nationwide controversy, the Election Commission has so far not taken any action. Meanwhile the Opposition bloc INDIA called the speech an attempt to divert attention from "real issues".
Addressing the people Banswara, on April 21, (Sunday) Modi openly attacked India’s Muslims, suggesting they were “infiltrators” and went on to claim that the opposition if elected would give away “mangalsutras” and “land” of those listening to his speech to them (Muslims).
He referred to his immediate predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh who was in office for 10 years as prime minister till 2014, and said, “Earlier, when his government was in power, he had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s property, which means who will they collect this property and distribute it to – those who have more children, will distribute it to the infiltrators. Will the money of your hard work be given to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?”
Modi went on to say, “This Congress manifesto is saying that they will calculate the gold of the mothers and sisters, get information about it and then distribute it. Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on property. Brothers and sisters, these urban Naxal thoughts will not let even your mangalsutra escape, they will go this far.”
Narendra Modi and the BJP so far in their campaign trail have invoked religious faith, the Ram temple and Lord Ram multiple times, directly using it to call for people to vote for them. The Election Commission has been completely silent on the messaging via videos, tweets and other exhortations.
Did Manmohan Singh really say that?
Modi’s claim that Dr Singh said that is not new and was refuted in 2006 itself by Singh’s PMO, when Modi had first made the false claim. The PMO had termed such remarks, “a deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation of what the Prime Minister said here yesterday at the meeting of the National Development Council, on fiscal priorities of the government.” It was termed “an avoidable controversy has been generated. The Prime Minister’s observations have also been quoted out of context in some sections of the electronic media, fuelling a baseless controversy.”
The full text of the paragraph in which the Prime Minister referred to the issue of minority empowerment to clarify the matter is as follows:
“I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children. The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. 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. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability.”
The PMO’s clarification said. “it will be seen from the above that the Prime Minister’s reference to “first claim on resources” refers to all the “priority” areas listed above, including programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children and minorities.
Opposition reacts
Chairman, Media and Publicity department of the Congress, Pawan Khera said in a video message in a post, “We challenge the Prime Minister to show us if the word Hindu or Muslim is written anywhere in our manifesto. This kind of lightness is there in your mentality, in your political values. We have talked about justice for the youth, women, farmers, tribals, middle class and workers. Do you object to this as well?”
Khera was referring to earlier mistruths uttered by Modi about the “Muslim League” having influenced the Congress manifesto.
In Jharkhand’s Ranchi at an opposition rally, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is reported to have said by BBC Hindi, “If democracy and the Constitution end in the country, then the people will have nothing left. Babasaheb Ambedkar ji and Jawaharlal Nehru ji gave equal voting rights to everyone, due to which all classes got respect. But Narendra Modi wants to snatch their rights from the poor.”
B.V. Srinivas termed it as unfortunate that “this person is the Prime Minister of this country, and an even bigger tragedy is that the Election Commission of India is no longer alive.” He said that “due to the frustration of impending defeat, the Prime Minister of India is openly sowing the seeds of hatred, he is polarising by misquoting Manmohan Singh’s 18-year-old incomplete statement, But the Election Commission (Modi ka parivar) is bowing down.”
Modi’s past hate-speech
Modi, in his 12-year tenure as chief minister of Gujarat was known to have made speeches targeting the state’s minority Muslim community brazenly, terming camps where Muslims were forced to stay in after communal violence gripped the state in 2002. Frontline covered him on his Gujarat Gaurav Yatra started shortly after the violence, at a rally at Becharaji in Mehsana district in northern Gujarat, when he said, “What should we do? Run relief camps for them? Do we want to open baby-producing centres? But for certain people that means hum paanch, hamare pachees.”
In 2017 it was time again for direct speech targeting Muslims when in February he spoke of ‘shamshaan versus kabristan’ campaigning for UP and then for Gujarat elections when the BJP had its worst performance this millennium, in a speech at Palanpur on December 10, 2017 Modi invoked a “secret meeting” to get Pakistan to fix Gujarat’s assembly polls. He said that a meeting was held at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s residence, attended by former PM Manmohan Singh, former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor and distinguished diplomats to execute the plot. Modi’s PMO faced embarrassment when in response to an RTI filed by the Congress, his office was forced to say that Modi’s campaign speech could have been based on an “informal input”.
In the only question he has answered as part of a press conference with Joe Biden on June 22, 2023, Modi was asked, “India has long prided itself as the world’s largest democracy, but there are many human rights groups who say that your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?”
In response Modi appeared visibly frazzled and denied all charges. “I’m actually really surprised that people say so. And so, people don’t say it. Indeed, India is a democracy.”
The journalist was trolled online by BJP leaders and supporters to such an extent that the White House had to come out and defend her and strongly denounce the trolling and abuse.
Comments
sadhya obba gand maaro antha halalilla hahaha ... see kactho avashya kathene illa ... mirchi ittu maja togollode nam passion ... even though u say ignore this guy , indirectly u r giving me imprtance and 100% madrasa product aada ninge mirchi ittange aagide , frustraion visible man .. muah ... i like it ilike it ... hogu maga chill beer haaki gand maaro :)
Narianna nige puku puku agee, hotte yalli tumba nowagta ide.
Bhrahmana ottige iddu ade buddi kalisi kottidare.
E narianna nige, joru orita ide. ade 2 points heli Udda prabhanda barediddaney.
Barnol hacchiko appa. Ninninda agalla
These are the people who desire death more ardently than social evils desire their life.
No tracks required, no comparison.
Keep it up PFI
Masha Allah, Nice program. thanks CD for good coverage.
Good coverage.. good gathering.. Great.. Keep it up..
Bogoluwa Naayi Kacchu dilla.. Ade thara illobba bogaltha iruthaney.. So guys chil maro and ignore such barkers.!
Nice pictures...all secular people must b united for save our democracy
We want honest India, Really appreciate these people doing good work to bring success for democracy instead of corrupt fake people
sure they will do good.
howdu kanappa azeeza ,Hitler kaala dalle azeeza huttidda , agle kabbaddi adthidda ... sumne koorappa :) , Hitler never believed in collective decision . he was dictator boss . hogappa ammi's biryani batting maadu .. hogappa kanda
Jai PFi
Masha Allah Very Good Program...
Abraar...its very good that you left PFI...coz there is no place coward in PFI...
Well Done P.OP.U.L.A.R F.R.O.N.T O.F I.N.D.I.A
Down Down R.S.S of ISRAEL
JAI PFI JAI HO JAI HINDUSTAN
Anna Naren.........HITLER kooda ide tara mathnadtha idda....... avna avasthe kanake neen huttirlilla......................
Masha allah..well organised and disciplined Programe..keep it up brothers.....
Very disciplined and impressive March.
Even though the permission was denied at Ullal in the last movement, the organizers did not bend and took permission at the heart of the city and made the program huge success.
Truly, appreciated your efforts.
What narendra said 90% correct. Same people will go every where and 50% crowd comes from kerala .I joined Pfi in 2008 and left within 2009.reason is simple .leaders are not capable to address real issues .empowerment is not baNd set movement .community must concentrate on uplifting up education level in our community and have community development plan .not on communal lines .you people are directly targeting rss and pm .it's unfair .even though Christian organisations don't like rss. They never indulge in direct confrontation. When u get into direct confrontation then real problem arise. Innocents will suffer with this type of act sir .no educated will support this type of movement which drives people towards extremism. I suggest boys participating is fine .but be careful about after affects .funders are based outside and Innocents suffer .shafi Bella re is the best example of brain wash .instead of this ..give importance for jobs and education in our community .when sdpi met Kumar swamiji it shows how immaturely we are handling.
WELL disciplined march, keep it up, we want honest democracy in our good Bharat, not fake people ,
honest India will flourish soon, irrespective of caste color and religion,
I support honest people
@ Naren.. its funny tht you are sitting in singapore and pi**ing in your pants...
Ma Sha Allah Well Organised And Disciplined Program
ee taraha march maadi saangh parivar na and israel na mugistivi andukondire adakkintha big joke bere illa .just two points here .
1.there is no discipline in the crowd .pics are visible .just see how people without discipline moving and also when there is a march going on track olagade barbardu ... yenu madakke agalla fish market buddhi sathru hogalla :)
2. regarding march , they are not local guys .where ever you go these guys will be there .same boys . few kl registration gaadi will come with all band sets .papa local boys ge dana kadiyo , ganja maaro kelasa bittu idennella kaliyakke agatha ? hahaha .no ways .moreover aa uniform bandu previously gulf na ondu country nalli police navru use maadtha idda uniform ... hahaha mostly sumne yaake investment antha container ge haaki togondu bandu madrasa products ge haaki march hodestha irodu ...nearly 75% of gatherers were from kerala .
3.any organisation with just support base of one religion cannot win in democratic form .sangh has nurturerd muslims , sikhs , jains , buddhists , cvhritsians in large nos .there are plenty of leaders .. bari march inda nadiyalla swamy ...one of their top leader was a earlier simi member , simi needless to say how many indians they killed and raped .papa ... same summit ... few years back ... if modiji becomes PM , their community will become terrorists :) ...i still recall and laugh at ...
last but not the least rikacha answer me ... biryani kodlilla antha unform boys hodedaata madidranthe howda ? hahaha...
Masha Allah
Unity March towards good vision to eleminate fascism fekuism from Our secular India
Masha allah good to see . pfi u have done it hatts off.....
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