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
9/11 caused more Americans to embrace Islam.
The same thing happens here, more Truth Loving people start researching the speech of Zakir Naik and will easily embracing Islam.
Indians are more free and intelligent in deciding.
Unfortunately the RSS lead govt can detain him under pretext of so called all allegation, even without proof.
We have some blind law where innocent people become easy prey.
Such law is made to target the people who talks truth against the corrupt leaders.
Laks...Karkala.....
Every one knows you hypocrites are experts in fabricating proofs and give clean chit to criminals ...... Indians can eat indian cow meat in Gulf BUT not in India.... Go to Google and find out the names of Indians in the list of TOP CRIMINALS of the world ....Hypocrite ....
Laks, Karkala
From your frustrated comments i can understand that you are so far from the reality. Not a single proof can indian govt can show against Dr.Zakir naik. Even nobody can have the guts to have debate with zakir naik. so will wait and watch.
Laks, Zakir Naik did not trouble anyone...when he was preaching around everyone lived very happily here in India....He conveyed peace message to everyone...
Dear Altaf,
Dont teach us what to ban...Our present government have enough proof to put him behind the bar...and your lawyer is der to protect him..so leave it to court
Sitting in Doha its easy for you to comment
Basically it is not the matter of scare. In the recent years we have noticed that the Muslims are targeted & put behind bars without any evidence.
Later it is proved that the RSS goons are involved in the terror activity across the country. But they are not booked in any case.
These types of double standard Judicial System makes the Muslims to be away for certain period. I hope very soon Br. Zakir Naik we get justice & start spreading the peace message.
Mr. Zakir Naik's Preaching, Knowledge and popularity not gone well with sick minds, they cannot counter him through dialogue; obviously misuse of power is the solution!!!
Laks, Karkala
If you really wish to see that everyone in india should leave happily then you have to think about banning RSS and sangh parivar. Zakir naik never done anything so that hindus and muslim divide. He always tried to unite all religion. I think you have not listened to any of his speeches. My sincere request with you is to first listen his all complete speeches. Then come to conclusion.
Please watch the below videos. It is available in Youtube
1.Similarities between Hinduism and Islam
2.Similarities between Islam and Christianity
3.Does God Exits
4.Is terrorism a muslim monopoly
Hope after watching the above you can change your thinking from negative to positive .
Over all this is a political game with the backing of rss communal group.
Started to target peace loving INDIANS and Mr. ZN is on top of their list.
There is many more to come from religious leader to business man;social worker; leading person etc.
Instead of 5 years high court need to ban for life time... so that everyone can leave happily in India
ZN is scared..he will not come back to india.. if he was Innocent he could have came back long back ago...
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