Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | I.N.D.I.A. bloc wants to turn country's majority community into second-class citizens: PM Modi

"Mau (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties want to turn the country's majority community into second-class citizens and also accused them of planning to rewrite the Constitution to provide reservation on the basis of religion.

Addressing a public meeting in Ghosi here in Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal region, he also alleged the opposition grouping will end the reservation given to SC, ST, OBC and give all of it to Muslims. He accused INDIA parties of making different castes fight among themselves.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, which are constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, Modi said they have neglected Purvanchal over the years and turned it into a 'region of mafia, poverty and helplessness'.

The SP and INDIA bloc are making castes fight among themselves so that they become weak, he alleged, adding this is being done 'to divert people's attention from the real issues'.

"Today, I have come to alert the people of Purvanchal and Ghosi about the big conspiracy of the INDI alliance," Modi said, and counted the grouping's three 'big conspiracies'.

"First, the people of INDI alliance will change the Constitution and write in it afresh that reservation should be given on the basis of religion in India. Second, these INDI people will end the reservation given to SC, ST, OBC. Third, they will give the entire reservation to Muslims on the basis of religion," Modi said.

He said, "A third method has been created to circumvent the OBC reservation. They are declaring Muslim castes as OBC overnight. Recently, the Calcutta High Court has rejected OBC reservation for 77 Muslim castes."

The prime minister went on add, "Today, the SP, Congress and the INDI people want to make the majority community in India second-class citizens."

He alleged those associated with the SP kept Purvanchal backward under a conspiracy and the people of the region will continue to punish them for this.

"The families of SP and Congress had their dynastic mindset turn Purvanchal into a region of mafia, poverty and helplessness," he said.

"The people associated with the INDI alliance who set fire to your houses, encroached on land, who emboldened rioters, who shed tears for the mafia, such people should not be allowed to set foot in Purvanchal," Modi said.

The rally was held in support of BJP and NDA candidates from Ghosi, Salempur and Ballia Lok Sabha seats.

Referring to the SP and Congress' previous manifestos, Modi said, "In 2012 (assembly polls), the SP had clearly written in its manifesto that the reservation that Babasaheb gave to Dalits, similar reservation will be given to Muslims."

Modi further claimed the Congress declared educational establishments as minority institutions and gave reservation to Muslims there.

"Before 2014, the Congress changed the law overnight to declare schools, colleges and universities as minority institutions. They declared thousands of educational institutions as minority institutions. Earlier, the reservation SC, ST and OBC students were getting there was completely ended and Muslims got reservation," he said.

"What can be a bigger betrayal than this of the sons and daughters of Dalits, backward tribals?" Modi asked.

Referring to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the prime minister said people from across the world are visiting it for a 'darshan' of Ram Lalla. But those of the SP and the Congress rejected the invitation for the temple's consecration ceremony, Modi said.

"They pretend to go to temples during elections. But these people started abusing the Ram temple when such a grand festival (consecration ceremony) of our faith came after 500 years. These people were angry with the construction of the Ram temple," he said.

He also claimed that these opposition parties talk about reversing the verdict in the Ram temple case just as it was done in the Shah Bano case.

In 1985, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Shah Bano, a Muslim woman from Indore who had sought maintenance from her husband after divorce, but the then-Rajiv Gandhi government overturned the judgement through an Act. In November 2019, a five-judge apex court bench had paved the way for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, ending a decades-long land dispute.

The prime minister said when 'Modi openly exposes them (opposition), they raise slogans of digging Modi's grave."

"They issue fatwas of vote jihad against Modi but as long as Modi has the protective shield of mothers and sisters of the country and the blessings of all of you, no one can do any harm to Modi," he said.

NDA partner Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party has fielded Arvind Rajbhar from the Ghosi Lok Sabha seat. The BJP has fielded Neeraj Shekhar and Ravindra Kushwaha from Ballia and Salempur seats, respectively.

Polling in Ghosi, Ballia and Salempur will be held on June 1 in the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.