Congress will abolish quota: PM

New Delhi, Ranchi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a high-energy campaign for the second phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections accused the Congress’ “shehzada” of conspiring to scrap reservations for people belonging to SC, ST and OBC communities in an attempt to ‘weaken’ them.

Addressing two BJP rallies, Modi also alleged that the ruling JMM-led coalition “helped infiltrators become permanent citizens” of the state. “This is a deep-rooted conspiracy which will change Jharkhand’s identity,” the Prime Minister said at a rally in Deoghar.

Promising to thwart such attempts, besides that of weakening SC, ST and OBC communities, Modi exuded confidence that the BJP-led NDA was going to form government in Jharkhand and he would come to attend the oath ceremony.

“The Congress has dangerous intentions. The Congress’ shehzada is conspiring to scrap reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. The prince’s father had declared reservation as slavery, bonded labour but he was later defeated in elections. His father had issued advertisements to remove reservations... We will thwart any such conspiracy,” Modi said, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi without naming them.

The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress has been wiped out from states with high SC, ST, OBC population and is now pitting sub-castes of SC/STs and OBCs against one another and appealed to people to remain united saying “Ek hain toh safe hain” (we are safe if we are united)”.

Addressing another rally at Godda, he alleged that infiltration assumed an alarming proportion in Jharkhand and hit out at the ruling JMM-led coalition for patronising infiltrators. He also termed the ruling government “Abua Awas” housing scheme in place of PM Awas Yojana as a “farzi (fake)” scheme for “cut money and commission”.

“The JMM-led coalition is patronising infiltrators. It is facilitating infiltrators to occupy land, forest and water of tribals, making their population decline,” Modi alleged.

He also charged that the ruling alliance not only indulged in “mafia raj and question paper leak” but also stalled development and forced people to migrate, remain unemployed and suffer because they were devoid of connectivity.

“I promise you that I will bring out the culprits who played with the future of your children even if they are hiding in ‘paatal’ (hell),” Modi asserted.

The JMM-led coalition applied salt to your wound by giving tickets to the wife of the jailed leader, Modi said without naming Alamgir Alam who is behind bars in a multi-crore money laundering case. The Congress has given ticket to Alam’s wife Nishat Alam from Pakur, a constituency represented by him. Alam, the former parliamentary affairs minister was taken to custody by the ED on May 15 in an alleged money laundering case and is under investigation for alleged irregularities and bribery in the state rural development department. The ED had recovered over `32 crore in cash from Alam’s domestic help.