Modi hits 'hate speech' button in Rajasthan; Oppn up in arms

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Modi in his speech in Banswara, Rajasthan on Sunday reportedly made several incorrect claims and hateful comments, targeting the Muslim minority.

He followed it up with more of the same in Aligarh (UP), on Monday, alleging Congress wanted to snatch women’s gold and redistribute it.

These remarks are reportedly a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and an offence under section 153 a (promotion of enmity between groups) of the Indian Penal Code.

Notably, this election season, Modi has escalated from dog whistles like referring to Congress as “sultans” and ascribing “Mughal mentality” to them to full-blown fake news and hate-mongering about the rival party wanting to hand over the country’s wealth to minorities.

“When their (Congress’) government was in power, they said Muslims had the first right on the property of the country.

This means they will collect this property and distribute it to whom? They will distribute it to those who have more children, to infiltrators. Should the money of your toil be given to infiltrators? Is it acceptable to you?

This is what the Congress’ manifesto says. They say they’ll take stock of the gold that our womenfolk have and then distribute it to those who Manmohan Singh said had the first right on the country’s property, meaning Muslims.

Brothers and sisters, this ‘urban Naxal’ mentality will not spare even your ‘mangalsutra’. It’ll escalate to this,” Modi said on Sunday.

PM resurrects misinfo from 2006

Modi misquoted then PM Manmohan Singh’s address at the Meeting of National Development Council in 2006.

“I believe our collective priorities are clear. Agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children.

The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized.

We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources,” Manmohan said.

Note that the “they” Singh said “had the first claim on resources” included disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), minorities (including Muslims) and women and not just one community.

Many media outlets had misquoted Singh, which led the PM’s Office (PMO) to issue a clarification.

False claims on Cong manifesto, vilifying minorities

Moreover, Modi also wrongly claimed that Congress’ manifesto talked about seizure and redistribution of resources, besides likening Muslims to infiltrators and deriding the community for its “high birthrate”.

Congress "Nyay" schemes and “guarantees” draw money from the state exchequer rather than a communist style seizure of private property as claimed by Modi. In fact, National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) and census data proves the Muslim population growth fell 11.35 per cent from 1992 to 2011.