Small Opposition parties will merge with Cong, claims Modi

Shinde managed to keep the name of the party started by Uddhav Thackeray’s father, and formed government in a partnership with the BJP…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today warned voters about what he said was the dangers of going the Congress’s way, citing the example of the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Campaigning in Mumbai amid the hot and humid weather, with temperature reaching 38 degree Celsius, PM Modi said Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray believed that the day the Maharashtra party starts to follow the path of the Congress, it would be the end of the Shiv Sena.

“Maharashtra has made up its mind to punish the duplicate Shiv Sena, which has kneeled before the Congress,” Modi said.

The Shiv Sena shattered into two factions after Sena leader and the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde revolted against the then alliance government with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Shinde managed to keep the name of the party started by Uddhav Thackeray’s father, and formed government in a partnership with the BJP.

“Smaller parties will merge with the Congress after the elections,” PM Modi said. “Modi is the chowkidar of rights of oppressed people. He won’t let them be snatched away… Splitting Budget on religious lines is dangerous, but for the Congress, minority means its dear vote bank,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi had defended himself against Opposition criticism that he is stoking divisions between Hindus and Muslims to win the national elections as he filed his nomination on Tuesday for re-election from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi.

Ahead of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed two public rallies at Kalyan in Thane district and Dindori, and also held a roadshow in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis were also present at the roadshow.

PM Modi in Kalyan claimed that he exposed the Congress party’s “intentions” on several occasions, while the latter blamed him for “communalising politics.”

Addressing an election rally, PM Modi said, “Congress is trying to create communal disharmony in India. When I talk about what they do, they blame me and accuse me of communalising politics. While in reality, all I do is expose Congress.”

“Congress can never talk about development. Congress only knows how to do Hindu-Muslim. For them, development means the development only of those who vote for them. During its government, Congress used to say openly that Muslims had the first right to the resources of the country. This was said by Dr Manmohan Singh,” he said.

He further said that Congress wants to “divide the budget” and provide 15 per cent of the budget to Muslims.

“The situation was such that the Congress and its allies had thought of dividing the development budget also. Congress also wanted to divide the budget into the Hindu budget and the Muslim budget. Congress wanted 15 per cent of the budget to be allocated separately to Muslims. The Congress party was committing this sin. I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat then, and I was the first one to oppose it. If Congress and INDI Alliance come to power, this is what they are going to do,” he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress used to “beg” Pakistan to spare India from terrorist attacks.

‘I never mentioned Hindu or Muslim’

Clarifying his “infiltrators” and “those with more children” remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he did not only talk about Muslims but spoke about every poor family, adding that the day he starts doing Hindu-Muslim, he will be “unworthy of public life.”

In an interview with News 18, PM Modi said that he does not market love towards Muslims, “I do not work for a vote bank. I believe in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”

“I am shocked. Who told you that whenever one talks of people with more children, the inference is they are Muslims? Why are you so unjust towards Muslims? This is the situation in poor families too. Where there is poverty, there are more children, irrespective of their social circle. I didn’t mention either Hindu or Muslim. I have said that one should have as many children as you can take care of. Don’t let a situation arise where the government has to take care of your children,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

Referring to the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat when he was the Chief Minister of the state, Modi said that his opponents “tarnished” his image among the Muslims after 2002 (the Godhra riots).

“This issue is not about Muslims. Irrespective of how supportive individual Muslims are of Modi, there is a wave of thought that dictates to them, ‘do this, do that’. In my house, there are all Muslim families around me. Eid was also celebrated in our house, and there were other festivals in our house. Food was not cooked in our house on the day of Eid. Food used to come to my place from all the Muslim families. When Muharram started, we needed to come out from under the Tajiya, we were taught. I grew up in that world. Even today, many of my friends are Muslims. After 2002 (Godhra), my image was tarnished,” he added.

Asked whether Muslims would vote for him in this Lok Sabha election, he said that the “people of the country will vote for me.”

“The day I start doing Hindu-Muslims, I won’t be entitled to live in the public domain. I won’t do Hindu-Muslim. This is my pledge,” Modi said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi, in a public rally in Rajasthan, alleged Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among “those having more children.”

Referring to reports about Congress’s intention to redistribute wealth if elected to power, the Prime Minister said the party would conduct a survey and they would not even let Mangalsutra remain with women and “will go to this extent.”

Modi filed on Tuesday his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister is seeking a third consecutive term from the constituency and hoping to win with a record margin.

Modi, the sitting MP and BJP’s candidate, filed his nomination papers at the district magistrate’s office. Varanasi will go in for polling in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on June 1. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

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