’Didn’t speak a word against minority’: PM Modi says ’not ready to consider someone a special citizen’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has "never been against the minority". In an exclusive interview with news agency PTI, the Prime Minister denied speaking against minorities when asked about his recent speeches during election campaign. He rather argued that he was "speaking against the vote bank politics of Congress".

"I have not spoken a word against minorities. I am speaking against the vote bank politics of the Congress. I am speaking about the Congress working against the Constitution," PM Modi said.

He added that the Constitution makers of India, including Babasaheb Ambedkar and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had decided that reservation would not be given on the basis of religion. "Now that you are turning away from that, it is my responsibility to expose them," the Prime Minister said in the interview.

He further assured that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "has never been against the minority".

"The BJP has never been against the minority. It's not just today. But the party has never been against the minority," PM Modi said.

He also compared the politics of the Opposition and the BJP and said, "They follow the path of appeasement and I follow the path of satisfaction. Theirs is appeasement politics, while my idea is Sabka Sath Sabka Vikaas."

"We are not ready to consider someone a special citizen; we are ready to consider everyone equal," PM Modi told PTI.

PM Modi drew the Opposition's criticism after he alleged during an election rally that the Congress plans to give people's hard-earned money and valuables to "infiltrators" and "those who have more children".

"Earlier, when their [Congress] government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children," PM Modi had said while addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara on April 21.