'Didn't Consider Ambedkar Worth...': Modi Tears Into Cong Over OBC Status; Gives Them '40 Seats in Bengal' Challenge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday referred to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s jibe that the Congress will not even win 40 seats in the Lok Sabha poll and said he would pray for the party.

PM Modi, who was in the Rajya Sabha to take part in the Motion of Thanks discussion on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament took a swipe at Congress and said, “A challenge has come from West Bengal that the Congress would not be able to cross 40 seat-mark (in 2024 Lok Sabha elections). I pray that they are able to save 40 (seats). This party (Congress) has an outdated thought process as well. Now, they have also outsourced their work.”

PM MODI SLAMS CONGRESS FOR STAND AGAINST BACKWARD CLASSES

PM Modi criticised the Congress for its stand against backward classes.

He said, “The Congress which never gave complete reservation to OBCs, never gave reservation to the poor of the general category, which did not consider Baba Saheb worthy of Bharat Ratna, kept giving Bharat Ratna only to its family.  They are now preaching and teaching us the lesson of social justice. Those who have no guarantee as a leader are raising questions about Modi’s guarantee. ”

He said the Congress and its allies have always had difficulty in giving greater participation to the backward classes.

“They left no stone unturned to destroy Baba Saheb’s ideas. There was no preparation to give him Bharat Ratna, when the government was formed with the support of the BJP, Baba Saheb was given Bharat Ratna.”

PM Modi also said it was the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that worked towards making an Adivasi daughter (Droupadi Murmu) the President of India for the first time.

PM Modi said the first Prime Minister of the country was against reservation of any kind.

He read out a letter by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the then Chief Ministers where he said, “I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in services. I am strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second rate standards.”

“That is why I say that they are against it (reservation) by birth. Had the government recruited at that time and promoted them from time to time, they would have been here today,” he said.

The Prime Minister blamed the Congress for making people look down upon the ones who believe in Indian culture and values.

“The world knows very well where the narrative was coming. ‘Made in foreign’ was made a status symbol. These people can never talk about ‘vocal for local’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.  In her address, the President addressed all of us in detail about the four largest castes, youth, women, poor and our food providers. We know that they have similar problems and dreams. The ways to solve the problems of these four categories are also similar,” he added.