 "Narendra Modi and Manmohan Singh")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a speech from 2006 by his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, to launch a scathing attack on the Congress during a public rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, following the Phase 1 voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. PM Modi alleged that Singh's government had advocated for the redistribution of property from Hindus to Muslims. However, commentators have said that this appears to be a misinterpretation of the former Prime Minister's speech, which emphasised minorities having the "first claim on resources" as a part of redevelopment efforts to uplift marginalised communities.
What did PM Modi say about Manmohan Singh's speech?
Addressing a gathering in Banswara, Rajasthan, Modi claimed that Singh's administration had asserted that Muslims deserved the first right to the nation's resources. He warned against the possibility of the Congress distributing the country's wealth among "infiltrators" and families with more children if voted to power.
"When they (the Congress) were in power, they had said Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you agree with this?" the PM asked the crowd.
He went on to say, "Congress's manifesto says they will take stock of the gold that mothers and daughters have, and will distribute that wealth. Manmohan Singh's government had said Muslims have the first right to wealth. Brothers and sisters, this Urban Naxal thinking will not spare even the mangal sutras of my mothers and sister."
The Prime Minister further added, "Sometimes they create fear in tribals or Dalits or minorities. These days, they are spreading lies about the Constitution or reservation during election time. They know very well that their lies will not work, as tribals are smart enough to understand their rights."
Also Read: PM resorted to 'hate speech' after disappointment in first phase: Congress
Also Read: PM resorted to 'hate speech' after disappointment in first phase: Congress
Congress response to PM Modi's comments on Manmohan Singh
Responding to these comments, the Congress party accused PM Modi of spreading "lies" and questioned the accuracy of his statements. They called the remarks "shameless" and asked if "PM Modi's mental faculties are right".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised Modi for stooping to a new low and diverting attention from the nation's real issues.
More From This Section
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called PM Modi's remarks "hate speech" and "panic-filled." He said, "No Prime Minister in the history of India has lowered the dignity of his office as much as Modi."
What did former PM Manmohan Singh say about minorities having first claim on resources?
This statement was made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a meeting of the National Development Council in 2006.
The transcript of Manmohan Singh's speech in the government archive reads:
"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 revitalised. 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 of other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Opposition party at the time, had targeted the UPA government over this. In response to BJP's criticism, the government issued a clarification on the speech, stating that the "first claim on resources" referred to all the 'priority' areas, which included programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children, and minorities.
