Congress will snatch away people's wealth, says Modi

New Delhi/Aligarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated that the Congress would “snatch away the property” of Indians if it came to power at the centre. Asserting that the grand old party believed in the politics of “appeasement”, the Prime Minister claimed this was the “mindset of Naxals and Communists”.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, a Muslim-dominated constituency, the Prime Minister accused the Congress and its I.N.D.I.A. bloc ally Samajwadi Party of doing politics of appeasement. “Parties like the Congress-SP always practiced appeasement politics and never did anything for the political-social-economic upliftment of Muslims,” he said.

On Sunday, while addressing a rally in Rajasthan, the Prime Minister had triggered a row by claiming that the Congress believed that “Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation”.

In Aligarh, however, the Prime Minister changed tack and spoke of his government’s contribution by coming to the aid of Muslims, be it triple talaq, increasing the Haj quota and making visa rules easier for Muslims to visit Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

Slamming the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, the Prime Minister said, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc members are hopeless, unwilling to look towards the future. They question why I speak of a developed India or making us the third-largest economic power. All they care about is their family and power greed.”

Warning the people of Aligarh against the Congress-SP, Modi said, they (Opposition) plan to confiscate property and money as they see fit, based on a survey they conduct. “This is akin to Communist ideology, which has ruined many countries. Now, they want to implement this policy in India… These family-oriented politicians have amassed vast fortunes by looting the people and have never shared their wealth with the poor,” he said.

The Prime Minister noted that Congress leaders have openly declared that if they come to power, they will investigate everyone’s earnings and property, even down to how much gold women possess, how many FDs employees have, and how much land farmers own.

Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he said: “When I first came to Aligarh, I asked you to lock away the factories of nepotism, corruption and appeasement. You locked them so tight that even the two shehzaades can’t find the key.”

Talking about several development initiatives aimed at the uplift of various sections of society, the Prime Minister noted that he had requested the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to increase the Haj quota. “Today, not only has India’s Haj quota increased but visa rules have also been made easier. The government has also allowed women to go for Haj without Mehram,” he said.

Asserting that under the BJP-rule peace reigns in Aligarh, Modi said, “Curfews were a daily ordeal in Aligarh, but not anymore. Under the SP government, riots, murders, and gang wars plagued us. Today, under Yogiji’s governance, peace reigns, and our sisters and daughters walk freely, without fear,” he said.