No Religion-Based Reservations To Muslims Till I Am Alive: PM Modi

Amid Congress attack that the BJP would change the Constitution and scrap reservations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that he would not let the quotas of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs be given to Muslims on the basis of religion.

Training his guns on the Congress, he accused the grand old party of making undivided Andhra Pradesh a "laboratory of appeasement" when it was in power in 2004 and 2009, by giving reservation of backward classes to Muslims and also of harbouring "hatred" towards the Constitution since its birth.

Addressing an election rally in Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana, he said, "As long as Modi is alive, I will not let reservations of Dalits, Adivasis, OBC to be given to Muslims on the basis of religion." When Congress won a record number of MPs and MLAs in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2004 and 2009, it gave the reservation of backward classes to Muslims, he claimed.

While 26 castes in Telangana have been seeking OBC status for a long time, the Congress did not approve of that but categorised Muslims as OBC "overnight", he said.

The Congress had started insulting the Constitution from "day one" when it removed drawings of Ramayan and Mahabharat on the Constitution given by B R Ambedkar, he said.

In a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi, the PM said the "grandmother of shehzada" (former PM Indira Gandhi) crushed the Constitution and imposed emergency in the country and jailed lakhs of people in the country.

The first Prime Minister (Jawaharlal Nehru) insulted the Constitution and the second big insult was from "his grandmother" (Indira Gandhi), he alleged.

The father of 'shehzada' (a reference to former PM Rajiv Gandhi) brought a law to scare the newspapers in the country which was opposed by BJP and the media and the move had to be halted, he said.

Recalling that 'shehzada' (Rahul Gandhi) tore off copies of an ordinance brought out by the then UPA government in 2013 in a press conference, he sought to know how the former could talk about safeguarding the Constitution.

The ordinance of the Manmohan Singh government was a decision of the then cabinet which is formed by the Constitution, he said.

The constituent Assembly had decided that there will be no reservation based on religion in the country and that quotas were meant for Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs, he added.

In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi, he alleged that an attempt is being made to provide quotas through the backdoor "dishonestly" on the basis of religion to strengthen vote bank.

Describing the Constitution as a 'dharm grandh' (spiritual text) for him to run the government, he recalled that he had bowed while entering into Parliament in 2014 after assuming power.

The "royal family" of Congress was not ready to accept even the party's Constitution and Sitaram Kesri, who was Congress president then, was "locked in a bathroom" and "thrown on the footpath" and the "royal family" occupied the Congress party regardless of the party constitution, he charged.

The first amendment to Constitution was made by the first Prime Minister Nehru.

"They are not concerned about the Constitution. For the royal family, everything is good when power is with them. But, everything is worthless when they lose power," he added.

PM Modi announced that, in his third term in office, the 75 years of Constitution would be celebrated on a grand scale and also taking the "sins" of Congress to every street in the country.

In a veiled attack on Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, PM Modi alleged that the money collected in the state through "double R (RR) tax" is being channelled to Delhi.

He made these comments while referring to blockbuster Telugu film titled 'RRR', which received global accolades.

Targeting the Congress party over the fake video case, he said the party has started a game of misleading people and creating tension in the society.

The Delhi Police has summoned Revanth Reddy to join its probe on May 1 in connection with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's 'doctored' video being circulated on social media.

Alleging that the Congress would impose 55 per cent inheritance tax if voted to power, PM Modi said when the whole world was economically progressing, India was suffering from policy paralysis under the previous UPA government.

"If Congress comes to power, they will bring inheritance tax. Congress is planning to collect more than half- 55 per cent as tax on inheritance (received from parents)," he claimed.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said whenever the grand old party is in power, it has five political symbols-- first, false promises; second, vote bank politics, third, supporting mafia and criminals, fourth dynastic politics and fifth is corruption.

PM Modi further alleged that first it was BRS, which looted Telangana and now it is Congress.

Revanth Reddy has repeatedly claimed in his Lok Sabha poll campaign speeches that the BJP would change the Constitution and abolish reservations.

When in opposition, the Congress sought a probe into the 'Kaleshwaram scam' of BRS. But, the party is now sitting on the files of the scam after coming to power, PM Modi alleged.

Similarily, when the BRS was in power, it did not let the probe into the 'cash-for-vote' issue progress, he claimed.

In 2015, Revanth Reddy, who was in TDP then, was arrested for allegedly trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote for his party's nominee in Telangana Legislative Council polls.

PM Modi also said the "Indi (INDIA) alliance" is so desperate and disappointed today that it has lost the hope to become the authorised opposition.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)