Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the minority community has kicked up a political storm in the state. Referring to a statement of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made on the minority community, Modi said if the Congress came to power it would snatch the ornaments of women and give them to the people of minority community that produces many children.
Manmohan used to say the minority community had the first right on the country’s wealth, Modi said. The Congress is tearing into Modi’s statement, and the BJP is attacking the Congress on the grounds of Manmohan Singh’s remark.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Manmohan Singh’s statement was wrong. Yadav said, “I was against the statement then. I am opposed to it now.”
Reacting to the BJP’s statement, MPCC president Jitu Patwari said Manmohan Singh had never made such a statement. It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister is using such a language, Patwari said, adding that the Election Commission (EC) must listen to the statement and see how the Model Code of Conduct is violated.
Patwari further said an 18-year-old statement was spun and presented to the public. There are many seats in the state, where the number of Muslim voters is very high, and they may go against the BJP. Campaigning will be more saffronised after the Prime Minister’s statement. Modi will continue to trip the state after April 24. Against this backdrop, the feelings of the leaders of the BJP and the Congress are set to run high.
Digvijaya’s Son-In-Law Passes Away, Ex-CM Cancels Poll-Related Events
The son-in-law of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Ratnakar Singh, passed away late Sunday night. He was 61 and fighting cancer for one year. As soon as Digvijaya Singh got the information, he left poll campaigning and rushed to Lucknow. All his election-related meetings, which were to be held on Monday, were cancelled. He gave the information to his friends and relatives through social media. Ratnakar Singh belonged to the royal family of Ramnagar.
