After Election Commission's warning, BJP repeats 'Muslims' charge at Congress

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"The hidden agenda of Congress and INDI Alliance is to snatch away the rights of SC, ST, OBC and give the same to Muslims. Congress says that the first right to resources of the country is that of Muslims. Whereas, PM Narendra Modi says that the first right to resources of the country is that of the poor," JP Nadda said.

He further took a dig at the Congress for their alignment towards a specific community.

"Manmohan Singh did not make that statement mistakenly. He did it deliberately because while answering a question in April 2009 - during a press conference in Mumbai - he stood by his statement and said that minorities, especially Muslims, should be given priority and the first right to resources of the country should be theirs," Nadda said.

The party also shared a video clip of the former PM.

The BJP supremo further claimed that the Congress-led UPA government had made false statements via Sachar Committee Report to show Muslims in worse conditions than SCs and STs.

Also Read: ECI issues notices over MCC violation complaints against Modi, Kharge, Rahul

"Through the Sachar Committee Report, false statements were made and it was said that Muslims are in worse shape than Dalits. It means that Congress was already creating a base to declare Muslims SC and provide facilities of SC reservations to them...Congress hates SC, ST and OBC because majority of the population in the country comprises them and this is Congress party's manifesto," he added.

His remarks came a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice to the BJP chief over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks, in which the latter had claimed that the opposition wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims.

The poll body has sought a response from the BJP chief by Monday to the complaints filed by the Congress, CPI, CPI (ML) and civil society groups regarding his remarks.

A major political slugfest was triggered after the Prime Minister alleged that the Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won't even spare the 'mangalsutra' of women.

Later, the opposition parties accused PM Modi of making false claims, while the BJP alleged that the Congress was nursing an agenda of Muslim appeasement.

Also Read: Congress questions EC's 'bizarre equivalence' in notices over Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi

Elections 2024:

Voting is underway for the second of seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in 88 constituencies across 12 states and a Union territory (Jammu and Kashmir). In the first leg, voting for which was conducted last Friday, 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories went to polls.

The seven-phase poll will conclude on June 1, with the counting of votes on June 4.