P Chidambaram, a prominent figure in the Congress party, sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent remarks on the "redistribution of wealth." Chidambaram described Modi's statements as "absolute falsehood and brazen mendacity," emphasising that such outrageous claims were unprecedented coming from a Prime Minister.
The criticism stemmed from Modi's remarks suggesting that if the Congress were to come into power, it would redistribute wealth to certain groups, including "infiltrators" and those with larger families.
Modi referenced former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about the minority community having the first claim on the country's resources.
In response, Chidambaram questioned the basis of Modi's claims, asking for evidence of the Congress ever proposing such actions. He challenged the BJP to provide specifics regarding when and where the Congress had purportedly announced plans to distribute land, gold, and other assets among Muslims or other demographics.
Chidambaram also highlighted a speech by Dr. Manmohan Singh from December 2006, where Singh emphasised the importance of ensuring equitable access to resources for marginalised groups such as SC, ST, OBC, minorities, women, and children. He condemned Modi's distortion of Singh's words, labelling it as scandalous.
The former Union minister criticised the decline in the quality of political discourse following Modi's recent remarks, characterising it as a "new low" in public debate. He expressed disappointment in the direction of the discussion, particularly since April 21st.
Modi's comments were made during a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, where he accused the Congress of intending to redistribute wealth, including gold belonging to mothers and sisters, based on Manmohan Singh's purported statement giving priority to Muslims in asset distribution.