At poll rally, PM Modi asks people to choose between 'Vote Jihad & Ram Rajya'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/AFP

During a public rally on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a stinging attack on the Congress party, pushing voters to choose between "vote jihad" and "Ram Rajya". Modi rejected the concept of "vote jihad," which refers to attempts to unify followers of a specific religion against him.

Addressing the gathering, Modi accused the Congress of advocating "vote jihad" against him, comparing it to terrorism threats in Pakistan. He questioned if such activities were consistent with democratic norms and constitutional provisions, reported ANI.

"India is at a turning point in history; you have to decide if vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya," PM Modi said. He added, "Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening of jihad against India. And here, those in Congress have also announced vote jihad against Modi, which means people of a particular religion are being asked to vote unitedly against Modi. Imagine what level the Congress has stooped to. Do you agree with Vote Jihad? In a democracy, can it be done? Does our constitution allow this kind of Jihad?"

The remarks came after Maria Alam, a Samajwadi Party leader and niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, issued a contentious statement calling for "vote jihad" to defeat the BJP. Alam's statement aroused anger and led to her being booked for inciting religious sentiments, the report added.

"In Karnataka, where OBC had 27 per cent reservation, the Congress government brought a 'fatwah', an order and overnight declared all the Muslims in Karnataka as OBC. What BR Ambedkar, the Constitution, the parliament granted 27 per cent reservations to OBC, by putting Muslims in the category of OBC, overnight, they (Congress) looted what was there for the OBC...now, they want to do the same thing across the country," the Prime Minister said.

"Today, a leader of INDIA bloc has himself accepted their conspiracy. He is the same who was convicted by the Court in 'fodder scam'. The leader of the INDI alliance has accepted that 'ye log Musalmaanon ko pura ka pura aarakshan dena chahte hain' (They want to give the whole reservation to Muslims). It means they want to snatch the whole reservation given to SC, ST and OBC and give it to Muslims. This is a danger sign for tribals, backwards and Dalits," he further added.

During his speech in Beed, Maharashtra, PM Modi sharply slammed the Congress and the INDIA alliance for a Karnataka reservation controversy. He accused them of abusing reservations by placing all Muslims in the OBC category, so denying other backward communities their fair share.

PM Modi emphasised the dangers of such activities, claiming they might imperil possibilities for tribals, backward sections, and Dalits. He cited comments made by former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav, who initially advocated for a Muslim quota in reservations but then explained that reservations are based on social backwardness rather than religion, the report added.

With ANI inputs