NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Congress had always opposed the unity among people of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backwards Classes (OBCs). The PM further urged these communities to stick together in their own interest.
Highlighting his new slogan, ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’, Modi, told voters on Sunday: “For Jharkhand’s development, collective effort is crucial. Stay alert of the Congress-JMM’s conspiracy. The Congress has always opposed the unity of SC, ST and OBC communities. In 1990, OBC reservations united these communities, and since then, Congress hasn’t been able to secure 250 seats in Lok Sabha. That’s why they want to divide OBCs into smaller castes.”
He made these remarks while speaking in Gumla and Bokaro in election-bound Jharkhand. He said in Bokaro-Dhanbad and Chota Nagpur, over 150 OBC castes, including Yadavs, Kurmis, Telis, Koiri-Kushwahas, Noniya, Bind, Sonar, and many more, form a powerful force for progress.
“The Congress-JMM alliance wants to divide them, pitting castes against each other. This will weaken the collective strength of OBCs. Do you want the OBC community to break into pieces? That would only weaken your voice. Remember – Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain,” he reiterated his new unity slogan.
The PM also launched a scathing attack on the Congress for supporting a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, calling for the restoration of Article 370. “This reflects the party’s disregard for the Constitution and its architect BR Ambedkar,” he said.
“The Congress wants to push Jammu and Kashmir back into violence by restoring Article 370, which will never be restored,” said Modi. Seeking to position the BJP-led NDA alliance as pro-tribal, the PM said his government declared Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, and this year was marking the 150th birth anniversary of the national hero. “Starting November 15, we will celebrate the next year as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh’ across the nation,” Modi said.
The PM accused the Congress and its allies of keeping the tribal community poor and deprived for a long time and said the BJP was committed to eradicating poverty from Jharkhand.
“It was the BJP that made a tribal person, and that too a woman, our country’s President for the first time,” the PM said.
He criticised the ruling JMM for disrespecting former CM Champai Soren and alleged that the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has endangered Jharkhand’s identity. The PM today also took part in a 3-km roadshow in the state capital, Ranchi, with thousands lining across the road to catch his glimpse. This was his second roadshow in Jharkhand, the first was held on May 3.