STATE TIMES NEWS
Khunti (Jharkhand): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused the Congress of destroying the country’s secular fabric, and playing politics of dividing Hindus and Muslims.
Addressing a rally at Khunti in favour of BJP candidate and Union minister Arjun Munda, Singh alleged that the grand old party was working against the welfare of the masses.
“Congress destroyed the secular fabric of the nation… But the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi refrain from any discrimination on the basis of religion or caste,” he said.
Singh also said that the Congress was “instrumental” in scrapping reservation of SC/STs at Jamia Millia University in New Delhi and the Aligarh Muslim University.
“The PM had made a comment about the Congress stating in its manifesto that properties will be surveyed. Now they have an objection to it. What do you (Congress) want to do by getting properties surveyed? Everyone should have equal rights over the country’s resources…,” Singh said.
On Sunday, the PM had triggered a political row by claiming that the Congress manifesto promised “redistribution” of wealth after conducting a survey.
The defence minister asserted that people should vote for a “tapasvi” prime minister like Modi, who ensured that India figured among the top five global economies in “just seven years”.
The country would feature among the top three economies after the US and China in three years, he said.
“It was due to PM Modi’s tireless work that India is being taken seriously on global forums now… He had facilitated the return of 22,500 stranded Indian students from war-torn Ukraine, after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Singh said.
Hitting out at former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Singh said it was unprecedented in India’s history that a CM went missing.
“Currently, he (Soren) is in jail as a government guest,” he said, adding that Jharkhand had three BJP chief ministers – Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Raghubar Das – but none faced any corruption charge.
Singh also said during the BJP regime, no tribal land was looted in Jharkhand, “which is rampant now”. “BJP gave due respect and recognition to tribals,” he said.