In an interview with newswire ANI, Modi discussed various issues, including reservation, the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, raids conducted by the central agencies, and more.
Speaking on the importance of safeguarding the interests of these communities, PM Modi said, “I want to alert the SC, ST, OBC and other backwards-class people because by keeping them in darkness they (opposition) are looting them. Election is such a time, that I should make the countrymen aware of the biggest crisis that is coming.”
Modi noted that the basic spirit of the Constitution of India is being violated, too, for the sake of vote bank politics. “Those who call themselves well-wishers of the Dalits and Tribals are, in reality, their staunch enemies…There is an imprint of the Muslim League in their manifesto…Do you want to destroy the coming generations also for the sake of the vote bank?… I will fight for the rights of my Dalit, Tribal, and OBC brothers and sisters. And that’s why I’m fighting the battle,” he told ANI.
Speaking on the opposition’s allegations that Modi will end reservation, the PM said, “They have committed this sin. I am speaking against that and that’s why they have to use such things to lie.”
Speaking on the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, PM Narendra Modi called it a “modus operandi”.
PM Modi said, “First, they started the sin of giving it to minorities by making a law in Andhra Pradesh; they lost in the Supreme Court, and the High Court rejected it because the Constitution does not allow it. So they cleverly started the game from the back door and these people overnight made all the castes of Muslim as OBCs and they robbed the OBCs of their rights…When the High Court’s judgment came, it became clear that such a big fraud was taking place. But what is even more unfortunate is that for vote bank politics, now they are also abusing the judiciary…This situation cannot be acceptable under any circumstances.”
On being asked about personal attacks during the election campaigns, PM Modi told ANI, “As far as Modi is concerned, after being continuously abused for the last 24 years, I have become ‘gaali proof’.
Modi added, “Who called me the ‘maut ka saudaagar’ and ‘gandi naali ka keeda’? Our party member in the parliament did the calculation and counted 101 cases of abuse, so whether there is an election or no election, these people (Opposition) believe that only they have the right to abuse, and they have become so frustrated that now abusing has become their nature…”
PM Modi spoke on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal‘s allegation that the PM decides who will go to jail. Modi said that it would be better if these people read the Constitution. “Read the law of the country, I do not need to say anything to anyone.”
Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal arrest news: 95% of ED cases against Opposition leaders since 2014, says report
On the Opposition’s allegation that ED, CBI, and IT are being used to suppress them, PM Modi said, “Ask the person who is throwing this garbage what the proof of what you are saying is… I will convert this garbage into manure and produce some good things for the country from it…When Manmohan Singh was in power for 10 years, ₹34 lakhs were seized; in the last 10 years, the ED has seized ₹2,200 crores. The one who has brought back ₹2,200 crores to the country should be respected and not abused. The one whose money has gone is abusing…It means that whoever is involved in stealing money will shout a little after being caught.”
He said, “Today, a Sarpanch has the right to sign on a chequebook but the Prime Minister of the country does not have it…Modi government has told its officers that my government has zero tolerance towards corruption.”
It is to be further noted that the ED, which operates under the Department of Revenue, Government of India, has filed 95% of the cases against the Opposition leaders since 2014, according to a report by The Indian Express.
On high voter turnout in Kashmir, PM Narendra Modi said, “First of all, I would like to pray to our country’s justice system that if the government wants to do any work, they have a design and strategy to do that work.
“To solve such problems, work had to be done under that strategy. Now, sometimes, I have to shut down the internet for that. Some NGOs went to court, which became a big issue, but today, the children there proudly say that the internet has not been shut down for the last 5 years, and we have been getting all the facilities for the last 5 years. There was some pain for a few days but for a good cause.”
The PM added, “It is very important to save the country from such NGOs. Secondly, when the common man votes there, it is not just to make someone win, voting means that the voter accepts the Constitution of India and expresses his dedication towards the entire spirit of India.”
On his decision to remove Article 370, PM Narendra Modi said that it was the “agenda of only 4-5 families”. He further stressed Article 370 was neither the “agenda of the people of Kashmir nor the agenda of the people of the country”.
“For their benefit, they had built such a wall of 370 and used to say that if 370 is removed, there will be a fire…Today it has become true that after the removal of 370, there is a feeling of more unity. The feeling of belongingness is increasing among the people of Kashmir and hence its direct result is also visible in elections, tourism,” Modi said.
PM Modi said that Odisha’s fate is about to change. “I have said that the expiry date of the current Odisha government is June 4, and on June 10, the BJP CM will take oath in Odisha.”
He added, “There has been no progress in Odisha for the last 25 years, and the biggest concern is that a group has taken over the entire system of Odisha; it seems that the entire system has been held hostage. If Odisha comes out of the bondage, then Odisha will flourish. It is a question of Odisha’s asmita. Odisha has so many natural resources, it is sad to see poor people in such a prosperous state, Odisha is among the prosperous states of India; it has so much natural wealth and Odisha is also among the states of poor people of India, so the government is responsible for this the people of Odisha should get their rights.”
PM Modi slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and said, “TMC party is fighting for its existence in the Bengal elections”.
Modi said, “In the last Assembly elections, we were 3, and the people of Bengal took us to 80 (seats); we got a huge majority in the last Lok Sabha elections. This time, the best-performing state in India will be West Bengal. BJP is getting maximum success in West Bengal. The election of West Bengal is one-sided; people are leading it, and because of that, people sitting in the government, TMC people, are frustrated… BJP workers are being put in jails before the elections. Despite all these atrocities, more people are voting and the number of votes is also increasing.”
The six phases of the Lok Sabha elections are over. The final phase will be held on June 1 in 57 constituencies in eight states and union territories. The results will be declared on June 4.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Published: 28 May 2024, 12:08 PM IST
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