New Delhi:

Accusing the INDIA bloc of indulging in “vote bank politics,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticised opposition parties for undermining the constitutional rights of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), stating that these groups needed to be protected.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi explained why reservation had become a crucial issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, framing his narrative as a call to safeguard the constitutional principles and the rights of marginalised communities.

“I want to alert the SC, ST, OBC & other backward-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. Therefore, I have been explaining this to the people. The basic spirit of the Constitution of India is being violated and that too for the sake of vote bank politics… Those who call themselves well-wishers of the Dalits, 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 vote-bank?… I will fight for the rights of my Dalit, Tribal, OBC brothers and sisters. And that’s why I’m fighting the battle.”

The Prime Minister said that those who call themselves the biggest sympathisers of the backward communities are in reality their biggest enemies.

Accusing the opposition of converting educational institutions into minority institutions, the Prime Minister highlighted that this action ended protections for SC, ST, and OBC communities.

“They swiftly converted educational institutions into minority institutions, thereby eliminating reservations. For instance, in Delhi, Jamia Millia University was designated a minority institution, resulting in the loss of reservations, affecting both admissions and jobs. It later emerged that around 10,000 such institutions have been removed from the reach of SC, ST, and OBC protections,” PM Modi said.

“They had made arrangements for it and even leveraged it for vote bank politics. When this concerning issue came to my attention, I felt it was my duty to take charge of the country,” he added.

PM Modi expressed his concerns about the Congress party’s stance on reservations, which became evident to him after they released their manifesto. He recounted his reaction to the manifesto, describing it as a reflection of the Muslim League’s approach.

The Congress party in its manifesto, ‘Nyay Patra’ released on April 5 mentioned that it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs.

“This manifesto gave me another shock. And that’s why when I saw the first manifesto, my first thought was that this manifesto has the imprint of Muslim League. So for two-three days they thought that there is no need to respond to this. When they did not give any answer, that is when I started opening up one by one. For example, in this country, they say that we will also fix quota for minorities in sports. Today, children from Punjab are doing very well in the world of sports. Our youth in Bengal are doing very well in football. Our youth in Uttar Pradesh are doing very well in athletics. The youth put in so much of hard work, they wake up at 4 in the morning. Congress says this will now go to the minority, so where will my hardworking young man go? What will happen to him?” PM Modi pointed out.

The Prime Minister criticized the Congress party’s proposal to reserve government tenders for minorities. He explained that for critical projects, such as constructing an important bridge, the contract should go to the company with the best track record, resources, capabilities, and qualifications.

“Suppose today a very important bridge is being built… who will build the bridge? The one who has a track record, the one who has the resources, the one who has the capability, the one who can perform, the one who meets all the requirements. There is competition in that. And the one who wins the competition gets the tender. They don’t say this. All this happens later. Now tell me, if in the same way, only on the basis of religion, quotas are given, that bridge will be built and people will be killed, then who will be responsible? Do you want to destroy the future generations for the vote bank? So these were some topics which the Congress brought in their politics of vote bank and it is now upto me to save the rights of my OBC, SC, ST brothers and sisters,” he said.

PM Modi said that the atrocities committed by the opposition related to reservation came to light after the recent decision by the Calcutta High Court to cancel OBC certificates was declared.

“They have a modus operandi. 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,” the PM said.

“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. And they are even saying that no matter what happens, we are not going to listen to the court. This situation cannot be acceptable under any circumstances,” the PM added.

Six phases of the Lok Sabha elections are over and the final phase will be held on June 1 where 57 constituencies in 8 states. The results of the elections will be declared on June 4.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pitching for streamlining of policies at central, state and regional levels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told NDTV that if he gets the cooperation from states then India will be a huge draw for foreign investors.

“Industry se log jab aate hain, woh sirf Bharat sarkar dekh kar aaye utne se baat banti nahi. State government and local self government, teeno main ek samanvay chahiye neetiyon main (When an industry comes to India, it does not just look at the central government. There should be uniformity in policies at both state and local self government level,” PM Modi said in an interview with NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia.

“There should be competitive cooperative federalism. Ab dheere dheere rajyo main woh spardha aa rahi hai. Woh apne niyam theek kar rahe hain, bureaucracy ko mobilise kar rahe hain. Agar mujhe rajyo ka sahyog mil gaya, tab toh main maanta hoon duniya main koi vyakti Bharat ke siva aur kahin nahi jaayega (There is competition among states. States are making changes in rules. Bureaucracy is being mobilised. If I get the support of the states, I believe no investor will be able to overlook India),” PM Modi told the channel.

The selling spree in Indian stock markets by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned aggressive in May, partly attributable to a strong US dollar, sticky inflation particularly in the food segment, and poll outcome-related anxieties.

With over 10 days more to go in May, the latest data from National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed that foreign investors sold Indian stocks worth Rs 28,242 crore.

The Prime Minister, seeking re-election for a third term, was asked if the promised guarantees will compromise the fiscal discipline, said,”Mere case main kisi ko ashanka nahi hai. Jin logon ne mere Gujarat ke karyakaal ko dekha hai, main financial discipline ka bahut aagrahi raha hoon. Nahin toh koi desh chal nahi sakta hai. Fiscal discipline uska ek criteria hota hai (Nobody has any confusion regarding me. The people who have seen my work in Gujarat, they know I am a big believer in fiscal discipline. No nation can function without this discipline).”

The Prime Minister, 73, spotlighted how pre-budget articles said he will distribute ‘revris (freebies)’ and win polls, they were surprised to see that this is not a ‘chunaavi‘ budget (poll budget).

Blaming the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, PM Modi alleged “they did not pay attention” to fiscal deficit.

“The UPA government did not pay attention to it. It led to many side-effects. I believe (fiscal deficit) it should be religiously followed,” PM Modi stressed, adding his government has undertaken maximum and sustained economic reforms in the past 10 years.

The country is in the middle of a marathon six-week general election, which ends on June 1. Four phases are over. Three more remain.

The Prime Minister indicated that the financial markets will set new records after June 4 – the day votes will be counted.

India has one of the most liberal foreign direct investment (FDI) policies in the world and in fact more liberal than many Southeast Asian countries that the country is often compared with, Secretary in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh told news agency PTI on Saturday.

The government has eased FDI norms in the space sector by allowing 100 per cent overseas investment in making components for satellites, as part of efforts to attract overseas players and private companies into the segment.

FDI in India declined 13 per cent to USD 32.03 billion in April-December 2023, dragged down by lower infusion in computer hardware and software, telecom, auto, and pharma sectors, according to the government data.