BJP ignores EC notice, JP Nadda echoes PM Modi’s remark, says ‘Congress plots to transfer SC-ST rights to Muslims’

Lok Sabha elections 2024: A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice to BJP president JP Nadda following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on Muslims, Nadda repeated the PM's remark and accused the Congress and INDI alliance of having a hidden agenda.

Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voting Live 

Nadda alleged that the main opposition party, the Congress, plans to take away the rights of lower-caste groups (SC, ST, and OBC) and give them to Muslims.

In a post on X in Hindi, Nadda said, “The hidden agenda of the Congress and INDI alliance is to snatch the rights of SC, ST and OBC and give it to Muslims. Congress says that Muslims have the first right on the country's resources, whereas Prime Minister Modi says that the poor have the first right on the resources. Congress hates SC, ST and OBC and appeasement is clearly visible in their manifesto too.”

Nadda referred to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's purported statement in 2006 that minorities, particularly Muslims, have the primary claim on the country's resources. He alleged that Singh made similar remarks in April 2009 too.

Also Read: PM Modi lauds Manmohan Singh in Rajya Sabha during farewell of retiring members: ‘Will always be remembered for…’

In response, the Congress accused the BJP of selectively citing Singh's words. It charged the ruling party of spreading misinformation and promoting communal divisions to polarise voters during the ongoing elections, due to insufficient public support.

“He categorically stated that he stood by his earlier assertion that Muslims should have first right when it comes to resources,” the BJP handle had posted on X, referring to the purported comments by Manmohan Singh.

Nadda's statements came just one day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) sent a notice to the BJP  following remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had asserted that the opposition aimed to redistribute the public's wealth to Muslims.

Also Read: 'Nafrat ke ghode ka...': Opposition castigates PM Modi for 'hate speech' in Rajasthan's Banswara

PTI reported that in its letter addressed to BJP President J P Nadda, the EC asked him to respond by Monday to complaints filed by the Congress, the CPI and CPI (ML) regarding the alleged “divisive and derogatory” remarks made by Modi on April 21 in Banswara.

It also asked Nadda to bring to the notice of all the star campaigners of the party to “set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of model code of conduct in letter and spirit”.

Also Read: PM Modi doubles down on anti-Muslim rhetoric, says 'Congress wanted to give SC-ST quota to Muslims’

Apart from 20 constituencies in Kerala, 14 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur, and Jammu & Kashmir are also voting today.

The Lok Sabha elections, the world's largest electoral process, are taking place in seven phases, and will conclude on June 1. The counting of votes  is  scheduled for June 4.

The first phase of polls was held on April 19, covering 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories. According to the Election Commission, voter turnout exceeded 62 per cent. The third phase of voting is to be held on  May 7.

(With inputs from PTI)