Yogi Adityanath is the BJP's star campaigner in Uttar Pradesh (File)
A comment made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over 13 years ago was mentioned today by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at a rally in Baghpat. In a constituency with sizeable Jat and Gujjar population, he invoked the 2006 comment, saying where would people of the two communities go if Muslims have the first right over the country's resources.
Dr Singh had said plans for minorities, including the Muslim community, had the first claim on the country's resources.
"Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said that the first right over the resources of the country is of Muslims. If Muslims have the first right, where will the Scheduled Castes, Jats, Gujjars and other people go," Yogi Adityanath was quoted by news agency PTI.
As the country is inching towards the national election, political parties have intensified their efforts to impress voters from varied walks of life. While the Congress have promised minimum income guarantee, the BJP has said that the party's plans were untenable.
The BJP has also attacked the Congress to appeal to its core Hindu voters, alleging that the Rahul Gandhi-led party coined the term Hindu terror.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi is contesting the election from Wayanad as he was scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority.
Yogi Adityanath, the seer and the BJP's prominent Hindutva face, has been making sharp attacks at the Congress leadership. He recently slammed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after she avoided visiting the makeshift shrine during her Ayodhya trip recently, terming it an "insult" for Hindus and asking the party to clarify its stand.
With inputs from PTI