New Delhi: After filing his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted in a TV interview with a news channel that he would never resort to divisive techniques. The day I do, I wont be fit for public life, he declared. PM Modi clarified that his references to infiltrators and those with more children in campaign speeches were not aimed at Muslims.During a public meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharply criticized the Congress party, emphasizing the pivotal choice facing voters. India is at a turning point in history you have to decide if vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya, he said.Accusations of Vote JihadPM Modi accused Congress of encouraging divisiveness by promoting a vote jihad. Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening jihad against India, and now Congress leaders are advocating for a vote jihad against me. This implies urging a particular religion to vote against Modi. Is this permissible in a democracy Does our constitution allow this kind of jihad he questioned.This follows a controversial statement by Maria Alam, a Samajwadi Party leader and niece of senior Congress figure Salman Khurshid. Alam urged Muslims to engage in vote jihad to defeat the BJP. Her remarks, made on April 30 while campaigning for the INDIA blocs candidate in Uttar Pradeshs Farrukhabad constituency, sparked outrage and led to her being booked.Critique of reservation policiesAddressing a public meeting in Beed, Maharashtra, PM Modi also targeted the Congress and the INDIA bloc over their handling of reservations in Karnataka. He criticized the Congress government for reclassifying Muslims as OBCs, thus altering established reservation percentages.In Karnataka, the Congress government issued an order overnight declaring all Muslims as OBCs, taking away reservations meant for OBC communities as per BR Ambedkars provisions. Now, they want to replicate this across the country, he warned.Response to Lalu Prasad YadavPM Modi further condemned former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav for his comments on Muslim reservations. Yadav initially called for a Muslim quota but later clarified that reservations are based on social and not religious criteria.Today, an INDI alliance leader, convicted in the fodder scam, admitted their plan to grant reservations to Muslims, thereby taking away rights from SC, ST, and OBC communities. This poses a significant threat to the marginalized groups, PM Modi asserted.Lalu Yadavs clarificationLalu Prasad Yadav later retracted his statement, emphasizing that reservations are based on social backwardness. Reservation is based on social criteria, not religion. The Mandal Commission, which I implemented, supports this, he stated.
