Mirzapur/Mau/Deoria (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday branded the INDIA bloc as "communal and casteist" and accused them of planning to rewrite the Constitution to give reservations to Muslims solely on the basis of religion. Continuing his attack on the Opposition at three rallies in Uttar Pradesh’s Purvanchal region, he claimed that the "jihadis" across the border are supporting the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, who are appealing for "vote jihad" in the country.
Campaigning ahead of the seventh and last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister addressed his first rally in Mirzapur, then in Ghosi (Mau) and his last rally on Sunday in the Purvanchal region in Bansgaon (Deoria). Accusing the SP and the Congress of pandering to their votebanks, Mr Modi predicted a third term for the BJP-led NDA at the Centre. He reminded the voters that they will not just be voting to elect their representative to Parliament but also the country’s Prime Minister.
"India will begin a new journey after June 4," he said.
In Mirzapur, Mr Modi slammed the previous SP government in the state for tarnishing the image of the region and making it a haven for the mafia. Crediting the BJP for the development of Purvanchal, the Prime Minister said the region is now known for industries and women's empowerment.
Citing the "One District, One Product" scheme and the Vishwakarma scheme, the PM said that the people of the region are now getting training, funds for modern tools and direct assistance from banks.
Alleging that the Opposition bloc wants to turn the country's majority community into second-class citizens and is planning to rewrite the Constitution to provide reservation on the basis of religion, Mr Modi, while addressing a public meeting in Ghosi, claimed that the INDIA bloc parties will end the reservations given to SCs, STs and OBCs and will give all of them to Muslims.
Targeting the SP and the Congress. Mr Modi said, “The SP and the INDIA bloc are making castes fight among themselves so that they become weak. It is being done to divert people's attention from the real issues… I have come to alert the people of Purvanchal and Ghosi about the big conspiracies of the INDIA bloc."
He then listed the Opposition bloc's "three big conspiracies".
"First, the people of INDIA bloc will change the Constitution and write in it afresh that reservations should be given on the basis of religion in India. Second, they will end the reservations given to SCs, STs and OBCs. Third, they will give the entire reservation to Muslims on the basis of religion," Mr Modi said.
He further said, "Another method has been created to circumvent the OBC reservations. They (the Opposition parties) are declaring Muslim castes as OBC overnight. Recently, the Calcutta high court has rejected OBC reservations for 77 Muslim castes."
"Today, the SP, the Congress and the INDIA bloc parties want to make the majority community in India second-class citizens,” asserted Mr Modi, alleging that the SP kept Purvanchal backward under a conspiracy and that the people of the region will continue to punish them for this.
"The dynastic mindset of the families of the SP and the Congress turned Purvanchal into a region of mafia, poverty and helplessness... The people associated with the INDIA bloc, who set fire to your houses, encroached on the land, emboldened rioters and shed tears for the mafia, should not be allowed to set foot in Purvanchal," he said.
Claiming that the Congress declared educational establishments as minority institutions and gave reservations to Muslims there, Mr Modi said, "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. Reservations for SC, ST and OBC students were stopped in these institutions completely. Muslims got reservations.”
Mr Modi also accused the Opposition parties of planning to reverse the verdict in the Ram temple case just as it was done in the Shah Bano case.
In Bansgaon and Deoria, Mr Modi claimed that "jihadis" across the border are supporting the SP and the Congress. who are appealing for "vote jihad" in the country.
"In Pakistan, 'duas' (prayers) are being made for the INDIA bloc, the SP and the Congress. Jihadis across the border are supporting them. The SP and the Congress are making an appeal for vote jihad here," he said in an apparent reference to a remark by an INDIA bloc candidate.
Mr Modi further claimed that the Opposition camp is saying that they will reimpose Article 370 in Kashmir and repeal the Citizenship (Amendment) Act if they come to power.
“Whose agenda is this? This is what these anti-India forces want...Their agenda is not the development of India. They want to take back the country by several decades,” said the Prime Minister.
Accusing the Congress of always playing with the country's security, Mr Modi said, "Our country makes BrahMos missiles. The day is not far when BrahMos missiles will be made in Uttar Pradesh… There is a big demand for this missile in many countries, but Congress does not like it. Many countries wanted to purchase the BrahMos, but the Congress government created hurdles because the INDIA bloc does not want India to become self-reliant in the defence sector.”
He said: "The INDIA bloc wants their arms deals to continue, their brokerage to continue and their scams to continue."
At the rallies, the Prime Minister said that the Purvanchal will launch an assault on the INDIA bloc in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Referring to the day of counting votes, Mr Modi said June 4 is going to decide the future of India.
