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
KMC manipal ,the worst hospital ever I seen in my life.Bcoz I have experienced personally when taken treatment for my mother.I lost my Mother bcoz of their medical negligency.They are using maximam patient for teach their students.In order to teach maximum level , they are playing with Human life .Doctors and Hospital management does not have any humanity & Kindness in their blood . They are professionally well trained masters for swindling & robbing from the patient no matter what background patience come from.Even after spending such huge amount , we are not only loosing money but also a human life .They are least bothered & don't spare human life. I Have observed and come acrossed mutilple occasion during my Mom admitted in hospital.
I don't like to critize anyone unless we personally experienced. Its a true facts what ever I mentioned .I kindly request every one not to visit KMC manipal if you value your life. What I suffered I don't further anyone to suffer. Hence I amicably requesting anyone not to recommend KMC Manipal. Simple meaning of manipal KMC is nothing but as BURIAL GROUND.
Thank you
Regards
Gokula Ramakrishnan
Manipal doctors are almost God! They're the absolute best. Anyone who disagrees is a fool. See... I said almost God. Not God! They do a great job... But sometimes things r beyond human control. I know the above mentioned doctor! He's a legend. People from all over the world come specifically for him. So whoever spoke badly of the doctor, know that ur karma will hit u back big time!
Hi,
Is there a place/forum/email where we can give complaint on irresponsible behavior from doctors/staffs ?
My father was suffering from throat cancer.Intially it w sas told that he was in begining of 3rd stag, later this person did take in charge of operation took throat out. Again the afteer one hhe had been undergone second operation which eventually took my father health eroded. He died in Mar 2020. This doctors and hospital not good for any treatment worst expereice worst manipal hosptal
in response to #9 nagaraj ,
yes doctors just somehow get into a college , pretend they study for 10-15 years, and once they are done , they wake up in the morning come to the icu , keep your famliy naked , stare at them, make jokes , kill them , then charge you money so they can keep living right ?
the fuck you saying retard. you think they did all that schooling and learning such complex things your stupid puny little brain cant understand even in a century just to fuck with you ? get a fucking life. ppl die. doctors are not gods. just open a fucking mbbs book , see the size of that shit. to become a doctor in a reputed hospital is no joke bhenchod.
if in case you ever get into an accident, dont call the ambulence , just lie there waiting to die. dont keep your hopes on doctors . DUMB FUCK
I lost my mother, these hospitals are not center for treatment, they are business centers and those who treat there are assholes. they are just money minded, i have a video how they spread virus too.
i will upload that very soon. the security bastards won't allow us even if your loved ones are dead inside ICU. Oh! i forgot to mention the ICU Concept in this business is very dangerous they keep patient far from germs in this unit, if you are thinking like this you are wrong. they are keeping their loved ones far so they can't see anyone inside and what is going on.. once my mom informed my dad that they left her naked in front of other patient for a long time it seems . such a shame. they also might have made their family members in front of many to get a job like that. they doesn't even know what is going to happen to the patient and just walks in the morning and evening and learnt story telling very well from primary school.
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