"Votebank ka virus": PM Modi attacks Congress for opposing Waqf Act, says loot of land will stop now

Hisar (Haryana) [India], April 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress party of spreading "votebank ka virus" for opposing the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act. The Prime Minister also accused the Opposition party of treating the SC and ST community as "second-class citizens."
"Congress has become the destroyer of Constitutions. Dr BR Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality, but Congress spread the virus of vote bank politics. Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward to be able to live with dignity and with their head held high, to have dreams and complete them," PM Modi said in his address to the public in Hisar.
"In the time of Congress, the doors of the bank used to not even open for SC, ST OBC; loan, welfare everything was just a dream, but now biggest beneficiaries of Jan Dhan accounts are SC, ST brothers and sisters," he added.
He further said that there were "lakhs of hectares of land" which is under the Waqf board, but the properties and assets have not been used properly to help the poor and the needy.
"There are lakhs of hectares of land in the name of Waqf. If benefits from Waqf properties had been given to the needy, it would have benefitted them. But on land mafia benefitted from these properties," the prime minister said.
He stated that with the change in the Waqf law the "loot of land" will also stop under the new amendments: "The loot of the poor will stop with this amended Waqf law. Under the new Waqf law, land or property belonging to any Adivasi cannot be touched by the Waqf Board...Poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims will get their rights. This is real social justice."
PM Modi accused the Congress of "humiliating" Babasaheb Ambedkar and trying to erase his memory, noting that historically Congress fought elections against Ambedkar.
"We should not forget what Congress did to Babasaheb. Congress humiliated him while he was alive. They made him lose elections twice. Congress even tried to erase his memory. Congress also tried to destroy Baba Saheb's ideas forever. Dr Ambedkar was the protector of the Constitution, but Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution," he said.
Continuing his attack, PM Modi said that the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) were treated like "second class citizens" by the Congress.
"Congress treated SCs, STs, and OBCs as second-class citizens in this country. While Congress leaders enjoyed luxuries like swimming pools, only 16 out of every 100 households in villages had access to piped water and among those affected the most were SCs, STs, and OBCs. In just six to seven years, our government provided water connections to over 12 crore rural households. Now, 80 out of every 100 rural homes have access to clean water, and we are committed to taking that number to 100 per cent," he said.
Backing the call for implementing a Uniform Civil Code, just as it was implemented in BJP-led Uttarakhand, PM Modi continued, "Congress turned the Constitution into a mere tool for gaining power. Whenever they felt that power slipping from their hands, they trampled upon the Constitution, just as they did during the Emergency. The spirit of the Constitution clearly says that there must be one common civil code for all citizens, which I call a secular civil code. But Congress never implemented it. In Uttarakhand, we have implemented a secular civil code but Congress continues to oppose it."
Earlier today, the Prime Minister flagged off the first direct commercial flight from Hisar airport to Ayodhya airport, laid the foundation stone for the new terminal at Hisar airport and several other developmental projects.