How Opposition leaders reacted to PM Modi’s ‘Muslims…wealth to infiltrators’ remarks

Several Opposition leaders, including Asaduddin Owaisi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his “redistribution of wealth” remarks targeting the Congress during an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday.

PM Narendra Modi claimed that if the Congress came to power, it would give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.

Reacting to the prime minister’s speech All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi wrote on social media platform X (formally Twitter), “Modi today called Muslims infiltrators and people with many children. Since 2002 till this day, the only Modi guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes. If one is talking about the country’s wealth, one should know that under Modi’s rule the first right to India’s wealth has been of his wealthy friends. 1% of Indians own 40% of the country’s wealth. Common Hindus are made to fear Muslims while their wealth is being used to enrich others.”

Hitting back at the PM, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that in the history of India, no prime minister has lowered the dignity of his post as much as Modi.

“Today, Modi ji’s desperate speech showed that INDIA is winning the first phase. What Modi ji said is definitely a hate speech, but it is also a deliberate ploy to divert attention,” Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday.

Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that today, the prime minister did what he has got in the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

“Lying for power, making false references to things and making false allegations against opponents is the specialty of the Sangh and the BJP’s training,” the Congress chief added.

“Our manifesto is for every Indian. It talks about equality for all. Talks about justice for all. The Nyaya Patra of Congress is based on the foundation of truth, but it seems that the chair of the dictator like Goebbels is now shaking,” Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in Hindi on X.

Rahul Gandhi reacts to PM Modi’s speech

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also reached to the speech saying after facing “disappointment” in the first phase of voting, “the level of lies of Narendra Modi has fallen so much that he now wants to divert the people from the issues as he is rattled”.

The trends of immense support for Congress’ “revolutionary manifesto” have started emerging, Rahul Gandhi posted in Hindi on X.

“The country will now vote on its issues, vote for its employment, its family and its future. India will not be diverted,” the Congress MP from Wayanad added.

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale urged people to “use your power” and lodge complaints against the prime minister for the speech. “Election Commission ignores the Opposition & has kept giving a free pass to Modi and the BJP. During elections, EC is not accountable to political parties. BUT – they’re accountable to the people of India. This is the email address of the Chief Election Commissioner: cec@eci.gov.in,” Saket Gokhale wrote on X.

“Will at least a 1000 responsible Indian citizens send a short email to the CEC demanding that strict action be taken against Modi before tomorrow evening? This is your chance to use your voice & to play your part in these elections beyond just voting. 1 short email. 1000 Indians. They can’t ignore your collective voices,” he added.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also slammed Modi, saying instead of answering a single question on issues related to youth, women, farmers, Dalits, and backwards, the prime minister “shamelessly lied” and made “insulting” statements in his rallies in Rajasthan to divert attention from the real issues.

Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera accused the PM of “lying”.

What did PM Modi say?

In his remarks in Rajasthan, PM Narendra Modi said, “The Congress manifesto says it will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom – Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets.”

“Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, it had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children,” Modi said.

“It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?” he added.

“This urban Naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your ‘mangalsutra’. They can go to that level,” Modi alleged.

The Congress, however, claimed that its manifesto does not talk about “redistribution” and that it favours a “comprehensive socio-economic caste census”.