NEW DELHI, May 21 — The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of engaging in polarisation throughout the election campaign, alleging that he was preparing a “communal pitch” that the party refused to engage with, instead prioritizing its ‘paanch nyay’ agenda.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized Modi’s remarks from a recent interview with PTI, in which the Prime Minister asserted that he had never spoken against minorities and that the BJP has “never” acted against them.
Ramesh claimed that since April 19, Modi’s campaign has been rooted in “communalisation” and Hindu-Muslim rhetoric, with no discussion of “Viksit Bharat,” “Modi ki guarantee,” or issues affecting farmers, youth, women, workers, and marginalized communities.
In response to Modi’s statements, Ramesh told PTI, “What nonsense is he talking about? This prime minister is fast losing his memory. He has never had any adherence to truth. He is a ‘jhoothjeevi,’ but now what he says today, he forgets tomorrow and claims he never said it.” He added, “Of course, he has been attacking the Congress party and has been using Hindu-Muslim rhetoric.”
Ramesh pointed to instances where Modi had raised communal issues, such as the ‘Muslim League’ reference in the Congress manifesto, the mangalsutra remarks, and allegations that the Congress would implement religion-based reservations, which Ramesh described as “bogus statements.”
He recalled Modi’s controversial comments regarding the Gujarat riots, asserting that Modi’s entire campaign had been centered on “communalisation and polarisation.” Ramesh stated that the Prime Minister has been preparing a “communal pitch” in hopes that Congress would engage, but the party refused, maintaining its focus on the ‘paanch nyay’—youth justice, farmer justice, worker justice, women’s justice, and social justice—and the 25 guarantees they have offered.
Addressing Modi’s remarks about the Constitution, Ramesh noted that the Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and that B R Ambedkar had acknowledged the Congress’s role in its creation. He criticized the RSS and BJP for their historical opposition to the Constitution, citing a publication from the RSS and statements from its leaders.
Ramesh also referenced an attempt during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister to review the basic structure of the Constitution, led by Justice J. S. Verma, which was ultimately abandoned due to opposition.
Ramesh questioned why Modi has been silent on the issue of a caste census and asked for clarity on whether the Prime Minister would support removing the 50 percent cap on reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs. He dismissed Modi’s accusations of the Congress supporting religion-based reservations, explaining that the 1994 reservations in Karnataka were based on socio-economic criteria and included various minorities.
He criticized Modi’s inconsistency, noting that Modi himself had added Muslims to the OBC list and questioned why the Prime Minister has not taken action against businessmen Adani and Ambani, despite making comments about them.
The Congress leader reiterated that their agenda remains focused on justice for all segments of society, countering what they perceive as divisive and communal tactics by the BJP.
