Hyderabad, May 11: From strong opposition to Muslim reservation to announcement for celebration of Hyderabad Liberation Day every year and from using the word ‘Razakar’ to ‘vote Jihad’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spared no words to exhibit his divisive agenda while campaigning in Telangana.
As the saffron party is aiming to significantly improve its tally in the state, which recently voted Congress to power, he addressed several public meetings during the intense campaign by the BJP with unprecedented anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The Prime Minister used the words Muslim and Hindu repeatedly in his speeches in what is seen as a clear attempt at polarisation of votes along communal lines.
Leaders of the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and several secular-minded organizations were shocked over the language used by the Prime Minister.
Winding up his campaign in Telangana with a public meeting in Hyderabad on May 10, he accused Congress and BRS of giving free run in Hyderabad. At an earlier public meeting, he remarked that Congress and BRS gave Hyderabad on lease to Owaisi’s party.
“Neither Congress nor BRS celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day as they fear that their vote bank may be unhappy. The BJP is determined to liberate Hyderabad from this fear,” he said.
The PM said the Centre has decided to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17 every year.
He claimed that Congress party’s strategy is to divide Hindus and make its vote bank happy. He reiterated that the Congress wants to snatch reservation from SCs, STs and BCs and distribute it on the basis of religion.
The BJP leader also claimed that because of Muslim reservation BCs were denied their seats in the elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
He reiterated the allegation that ever since the Congress government was formed in Telangana, there has been a talk about RR tax. “One R of Hyderabad and one R of Delhi have made Telangana their ATM,” he remarked.
The BJP leader told people that in Hyderabad they have to bear the burden of ‘RRR’. “Here one R is of Razakar. How this Razakar tax works is seen in old Hyderabad,” he said while alleging that there are no basic amenities in the constituency represented by MIM for a long time.
Not stopping at MIM bashing, Modi declared that on June 4 when the results of Lok Sabha polls will be announced, the opposers of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will lose, those who talk about vote-jihad will lose, supporters of Article 370 will lose, supporters of triple talaq and supporters of appeasement will lose.
Earlier, addressing a public meeting in Mahabubnagar, he alleged that the Congress party wants to make Hindus second-class citizens in their own country.
“The Congress wants to make Hindus second-class citizens in their own country. Is it for this reason that they are talking of vote jihad,” he asked.
“The Congress which started the game of Muslim reservation in united Andhra Pradesh now wants to replicate it across the country,” he said and even claimed that the Muslim reservation will promote those doing illegal conversions.