Sharad Pawar reacts as PM Narendra Modi slams Congress for ‘Hindu-Muslim politics’

Speaking at a rally for his party’s candidate Bhaskar Bhagare in Dindori (ST) Lok Sabha constituency of Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar said, “Narendra Modi is the first prime minister of the country who has taken positions that would increase the communal disharmony between various religions and castes. I heard his speech today in Nashik, and it was as per my expectations. He should have taken positions that will bring the communities and religious groups closer. Follow full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2024

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded sitting MP and Union minister of state for health Bharti Pawar from the Dindori (ST) seat.

Earlier on Wednesday, addressing a rally in the same constituency, PM Narendra Modi alleged that the Congress, during its rule at the Centre, had planned to allocate 15 per cent of the budget to Muslims.

Sharad Pawar also mentioned water scarcity in the region. “Nashik district has an issue of water availability anddistribution. Some of the available water is diverted towards Gujarat; what is the state leadership doing about it?” he asked.

‘Not doing Hindu-Muslim politics’: PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi asserted he has never indulged in Hindu-Muslim politics, but was determined to expose the Congress “game plan of appeasement” and uncover the opposition bloc’s designs to divide people based on religion. He accused the Congress of wanting to allocate 15 per cent of the central government budget for minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education based on religion.

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Addressing two back-to-back poll rallies in Maharashtra, where the fifth and last phase of voting covering 13 Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 20, Modi hit out at the Shiv Sena (UBT), repeatedly calling it the “duplicate” Shiv Sena, and said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has abjectly surrendered to the Congress and was silent on criticism of rituals at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Modi, the BJP’s star campaigner, also held a roadshow in Mumbai in the evening. Speaking at a rally at Kalyan in Thane district, Modi said the Congress can never speak of development, but it can only create a rift between Hindus and Muslims.

“Development for the Congress is the development of those who vote for them. I expose this ecosystem, and I am blamed for (doing) Hindu-Muslim (politics),” news agency PTI quoted Modi as saying. The PM referred to a 2006 remark of then-prime minister Manmohan Singh to hit out at the Congress.

“The Congress openly said the minorities have the first right over the country’s resources. (Then PM) Dr Manmohan Singh said this, and I was present at the meeting, and I opposed it. The Congress wanted a 15 per cent budget allocation to the minorities, and divide the budget into Hindu budget and Muslim budget,” Modi alleged.

“Should the country be run like this? The Congress divided the country in the name of religion earlier, and now wants to do the same thing. If the INDI alliance comes to power, they would divide the country on religious lines….we have to keep the country together….is it good to divide Indians? he asked the gathering. Accusing the INDI alliance and “Congress’ shehzade” (an apparent reference to MP Rahul Gandhi) of doing politics of appeasement, Modi claimed Karnataka had become a “laboratory” of giving OBC quota to Muslims.

(With inputs from PTI)

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