Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slams Congress over ''appeasement politics''

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched a scathing attack against the Congress’ “Muslim appeasement politics”.

Speaking at an “intellectual meet” in Visakhapatnam, the Defence Minister went at length, talking about how the Congress in an attempt to gain Muslim votes is promising things to the community that are divisive in nature and detrimental to the nation’s unity and integrity.

To buttress his views, Rajnath Singh said the Rangnath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Commission were established by the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government only to appease a particular community on the pretext of minority welfare.

The Defence Minister also said that he considers then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement as unconstitutional in which he had stated that the minority community, especially the Muslims, has the first claim to the nation’s resources. He also said it was the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh that created its first laboratory of ‘communal agenda’ and gave the Muslim community reservation in government jobs on the basis of religion, flouting the Constitution.

In Andhra Pradesh, an attempt was made to give reservations to the Muslims by reducing the reservations given to the SC/ST and OBCs, and a dirty game was played due to vote bank politics, Rajnath Singh remarked.

But the Andhra Pradesh High Court put a stay on this decision, said the Defence Minister, adding, “Despite that, between 2004 and 2010, the Congress tried to implement ‘Muslim reservation’ in Andhra Pradesh four times. But due to legal aspects and the Supreme Court’s intervention, it could not fulfill his plans.”

Rajnath Singh also said that the Congress has again included in its election manifesto the idea of ‘Muslim reservation’.

“After our Prime Minister exposed this trickery of the Congress, the party is attacking him,” the Defence Minister said.

The Congress says that the Prime Minister is lying whereas the truth is that the Congress is hoodwinking the people of this country, he alleged. According to Rajnath Singh, Congress’ promises in the manifesto will create new divisions in the country.

When Sections 3 and 6 of the Minorities Chapter of the Congress manifesto are read together, it becomes clear what the party is trying to do, he said.

Rajnath Singh also said that it has been written in Section 3 that “we will encourage and assist students and youth belonging to the minorities to take full advantage of the growing opportunities in education, employment, business, services, sports, arts and other fields”.

In Section 6, it is written that “we will ensure that the minorities receive their fair share of opportunities in education, healthcare, public employment, public works contracts, skill development, sports, and cultural activities without discrimination”, Rajnath Singh said.

On one hand, the Congress will promote the youth of minorities so that their role increases in education, employment, business, services, sports, arts, and other fields, while on the other hand, it will ensure that they get their share, Rajnath Singh said, adding that this is in fact done by making a legal provision, which is being expressed through the word ‘ensure’.

This means now the Congress is preparing to bring ‘religion-based reservation’ through the backdoor, he alleged.

“My concern is even bigger because whatever Congress has said in its manifesto in the name of ‘minority welfare’ is influenced by the ‘Sachar Committee’ report,” he said.

When the Sachar Committee, formed during the Congress government, had given its report in 2006, it had also suggested conducting a census based on religion in the Indian Army, Rajnath Singh said. (IANS)

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