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
I dont know what is coastaldigest editor doing when such useless and hatred comments are piblished online to be seen by the world. If you have prestige just maintain your ethics. Worst place to read news. Better i will switch to newspapers where i can read and close the paper instrad of spoiling my brain here.
Haha look at frustration among Muslim guys here ...looks like they are worried as their women will run to court to ask for compensation ...ishtu dina kabbaddi aadiddo adiddu ...convert agirorige banni 4 sigathe mele 72 bere kaadide antha aase huttisi convert maadko ta idru ...their worry is well known ...in coming days cashless transaction will increase and this community mainly dependent on cash based mechanism ..it has it hard and it will be having devastating affect ...matter irode illi ...tax kattade ...sikthu chance antha 3 -4 madwe agi kabbaddi aadtha idru ...adakku hodetha barjari agi biddide mundhe innu joragi bilatte ...if this law is enacted ...they cannot marry so easily ...modle avara community nalli gals sankhye jaasthi ...dowry bere ...moreover their women are getting educated day by day and they are coming in contact with non Muslims ...so ivara bhaya irodu ille....women bere dharmada yuvakara kade kade attract agi hogthare....complete Islam madakke kashta Agathe ...population na pump madodakke iro motor the inner circuit ye kottu hogarhe ...hahahaha ....ene aagli burnol and itch guard sales jaasthi agodralli sandeha ne illa ....one guy commenting about daliths here ..swamy ..neevu saabi ne ...Arab milk shake galu saabi ne. but Arab race ge priority jaasthi ..non Arabs second class yaake ...Arab boys ...
Adu bidi swamy ..if a Hindu gets converted to Islam. Yaava sub sect ge antha seriskoteera ? Simple question ...if that neo convert Hindu decides to marry ...henge babes na allot maadtheera .,even if he is highly educated and believe in Islam ..yaaru hennu kodalla first question barode hanafi sanafi salafi..kulfi..wahabi na antha able hadees antha na ..or deendaar antha na ..free from shirq and bidth idana antja ..jaathiyathe yella dharma dallu ide ...for us India first ...religion next ...
@Pedo...you are spot on..
Court took this step because they can make good business out of it....then every client will go to court to fight for divorce.....I am not saying that the system triple talak at one time is right...that is very bad....as per Islam that should be done on step by step basis at 3 occasions....not at one time pronouncing 3 talaqs.....
Now its courts job to join Modi with his wife....
If that is unconstitutional then why not daliths are as chief of temples , why only one category of Hindus are appointed as archaks.
@ Kannadiga.... can we hear from u what the Quran says about Talaq .....Thanks ....
As a human being we must respect HOLY QURAN and to its principle and policy. no one has a right to go against it or to tamper it's policy.
100% it is the book from the Creator / God not written by any human being.
Now about the INDIAN constitution , it is the fundamental right of every INDIAN citizen to respect and follow. But the opinion taker, judge is playing with the constitution is very unfortunate, before talking any thing against Quran and its contents he must think very deeply study thoroughly. Else the consequence will effect badly on whole country.
Judge is not superior than any such holy book.
Followers may plenty be with different mind set, which we cannot compare with holy book.
Jai Hind !
This verdict is incorrect. Court can not favor hand count females and neglect 99.9 percent of Muslim women. these so called moderate muslim women are either married to non muslim men or gf of non muslims. They have no knowledge of islam and dont know abc of sharia. These modern name sake muslim women are not forced by any one to follow sharia and be Muslims. They are free to switch to another belief. However, they have no right to interfere in the shariat law which can never be changed. Modesty is priority in Islam. Do these women will also fight for nudity as in western countries. They are free to adopt western life and have free life living with anyone they wish. As they are not respecting Talaq issue as per shariat, they should not marry to muslim men. also, they should not wear quarter hijab. These so called moderate ladies are lured by sangh parivar and they feel shame to call themselves as muslims.
Triple TALAQ is not one shot go ....it has certain period to say 3 Talaq's and its better than other man made religious laws .
its GOD's law and he will protect through Men or group of men if tried to interfere ....
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