Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of election rallies held on Thursday in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, accused opposition parties of aiming to introduce religion-based reservation if they win the Lok Sabha elections.
He said that his goal was to secure 400 seats to prevent them from encroaching upon the quotas of Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
During his addresses, Modi portrayed himself as the "chowkidar" (watchman) and a "wall" against alleged Congress plans to "rob" people through wealth redistribution or inheritance tax if the INDIA bloc came to power.
Modi suggested that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party intended to reallocate a portion of reservation meant for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs to their own "vote bank."
He referenced former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement in 2006, where Singh reportedly stated that minorities, particularly Muslims, had the "first claim" to the country's resources.
"The SP, Congress, and their INDI alliance can go to any extent for appeasement, there is uproar in the entire country due to the dangerous intentions of the Congress. The dangerous 'panja' (hand symbol) is going to snatch the rights of the people of the country again," Modi remarked.
His criticisms of the INDIA group were made at rallies in Morena (Madhya Pradesh), Agra, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
In Aonla, Bareilly, Modi claimed that the Congress aimed not only to conduct an economic survey but also to survey institutions and offices.
"If two people in a backward or Dalit family work, they will take away the job of one and give it to those whom they say have the first right on the country's resources," Modi said.
Modi, who has been predicting that the BJP-led NDA alliance will reach the 400-seat mark in these elections, assured various communities, including Yadavs, Kushwahas, Mauryas, Gurjars, Rajbhars, Telis, and Pals, that he would safeguard their reservation rights.
"The policy of appeasement divided the country but we are ending 'tushtikaran' (appeasement) and working for 'santushtikaran' (satisfying people)," Modi stated in Agra, attacking the opposition tie-up in Uttar Pradesh, referring indirectly to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
"They are eyeing the savings of mothers and sisters. But I am standing as your watchman to make women entitled to their property," Modi asserted, invoking the term "chowkidar" he has used for himself.
Modi concluded by condemning the opposition's rejection of an invitation to the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, accusing them of considering themselves greater than Lord Ram.
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