NEW DELHI: On the last day of campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed the Congress for having “no place for Dalits and backward classes in its heart” and cited the “stonewalling”of the OBC Commission Bill’s passage as an example.
Seeking to reach out to Dalits and backward castes, Modi, in a videoconference with party workers in the state, claimed that the Congress disrupted Parliament to prevent the passage of the Bill that would have given constitutional status to the Commission. “The Congress only indulges in vote-bank politics. Blocking the passage of the OBC Commission Bill showed the anti-backward caste mindset of the Congress,” Modi told BJP’s SC, ST and OBC wings’ workers.
The Prime Minister said his government abided by the thoughts of BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
“The BJP is making efforts to fulfil the vision of Ambedkar who had shown hopes to the downtrodden,” said Modi, mentioning the contributions of Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule in uplifting the downtrodden sections of society. He also noted Madar Chenayya and Urilinga Peddi for their contributions in carrying out social reforms in Karnataka and stated that the BJP would carry forward their ideals.
The PM listed steps taken by his government to financially empower downtrodden sections by extending benefits to them under the Mudra, Stand-Up India and Start-Up India schemes.
Maintaining that tribals had reposed faith in the BJP, Modi pointed out that the BJP is in power in six of the seven states where the tribal population is highest in the country—Chhattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan—and referred to the party’s increasing strength in the Northeastern states.