Congress wants to snatch OBC quotas via back door: PM Modi

Agra (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday once again repeated his charges against the Congress blaming it for politics of appeasement and alleging that the party has been trying to steal quotas meant for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) while all this time preparing to institute reservation on the basis of religion.

Addressing an election rally in Agra, the PM said that Congress is a party which insults Baba Saheb, insults the Constitution and even destroys social justice almost every day. "The Constitution and the courts of the country have repeatedly forbidden Congress from doing so, but it is not desisting from its actions," he said.

He said that every statement of Congress on the basis of religion has been rejected by the judiciary of the country. "Therefore now Congress has started playing the game from the back door. Now Congress has decided that it will bring reservation on the basis of religion. For this, Congress has found a way that out of the 27 percent OBC quota, some of it should be snatched away and reservation should be given on the basis of religion," he said.

Modi said that the same Congress, sometimes in Karnataka, sometimes in Andhra Pradesh, has repeatedly advocated reservation on the basis of religion in its manifesto. "Sabka Saath, Sabha Vikas is Modi's guarantee, but for INDI alliance of Samajwadi Party, Congress and others it is vote bank that comes first even before the country," he said.

Without taking names of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said that the friendship between two boys in Uttar Pradesh is also based on appeasement politics. "Both of them together talk about OBC-OBC in their speeches and want to snatch the rights of OBCs from the back door to strengthen their vote bank.

"Be it our 10-year track record or BJP's manifesto, our emphasis is on saturation. Everyone should get the benefits of welfare schemes, they should get full benefits, without middlemen, without bribes and the deserving ones should definitely get it, this is the saturation model of BJP," he said.

The PM said, "Our secularism is also the same that whatever scheme is made, everyone should get its benefits without any religion, caste or discrimination. When you fulfill everyone's rights without discrimination without bribery it is called true social justice."

He said, “Our path is not of appeasement (tushtikaran), but of satisfaction (santushtikaran). But, the INDI alliance of SP-Congress is engaged in gross appeasement. The manifesto released by Congress for the 2024 elections has a 100 percent stamp of Muslim League.

"The entire manifesto of Congress is dedicated only to strengthening the vote bank, whereas, our manifesto is dedicated to strengthening the country."

Modi said, "India's growing power is not being liked by some forces. Now as the defence corridor is being built here, lethal weapons will be made for the country's army, to become self-reliant and for export to the world."

He said, "There are arms brokers all over the world, who had become experts in getting their work done by winning the confidence of old governments and the people sitting in power earlier also got to eat the cream in such deals. All such people are now upset and very angry. They do not want India's army to become self-reliant. That is why they have united against Modi. To stop these forces, for the bright future of the country and for the security of the country, it is very important to bring the BJP and NDA government back once again."

Appealing for the victory of the BJP candidate, the PM said, "Today I have come to ask you for something. I have come to seek your blessings for a developed India," as he appealed voters to vote for his party.