The prime minister says the Congress government declared the university as a minority institution to win elections.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Even after dozens of complaints to the Election Commission against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for indulging in divisive and communal speeches in the ongoing general elections, the party’s star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are continuing with their sectarian approach.
In a notification, described too little and late by noted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, on Wednesday to the BJP chief J.P. Nadda, the Election Commission asked him to direct his party’s star campaigners to stop desist from indulging in divisive and communal campaigning.
Ignoring the EC notification, during an election rally in the national capital on Wednesday Modi targeted Jamia Millia Islamia University over its minority character. He also mispronounced the university’s name as Jamia Millia Ismailia.
“The prestigious Jamia Millia Ismailia in Delhi is well-known across the country. For 60 years, this varsity operated like other universities, providing reservations for Dalits, backward classes, and tribals,” he said ahead of the May 25 elections in the capital.
He claimed that the Congress government declared JMI as a minority institution to win elections.
“However, in 2011, to win the 2014 elections, the Congress government, led by Manmohan Singh and the INDI Alliance people suddenly declared JMI a minority institution. This led to 50 per cent reservation for Muslims in JMI,” he said.
“Now, even in this, restrictions have been imposed based on religion. Interestingly, minority rights were previously limited to colleges, but Congress suddenly included universities as well,” he said.
The Jamia remarks are the latest addition to a long list of his incendiary speeches targeting Muslims and the reservation given to the community for its backwardness. During most of his election speeches, the prime minister has been claiming that the Congress plans to give SC/ST reservations to minority communities. The prime minister persists in his accusations even after the Congress has berated him on several occasions accusing him of spreading lies about its manifesto.
On other hand, senior BJP leaders regularly make hate speeches against Muslims. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and others have made several inflammatory statements targeting Muslims.
On Wednesday while addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Purulia, Amit Shah used the derogatory terms Mullah for the Muslims.
“Mamata (West Bengal chief minister) came up with slogan of maa, maati and manus but now it has become Mullah, Madrasa and Mafia. Mamata Banerjee has made the entire West Bengal a heaven for infiltrators,” he said.
He claimed that the West Bengal chief minister opposes the Citizens Amendment Act because she wants to give protection to the infiltrators. Shah raised objections to the decision of the West Bengal government to give salaries to imams.
“Her vote bank is Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators,” claimed Shah.
He repeated the claim that Congress planned to snatch away reservations meant for the SC/ST and give it to the Muslims.
