Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he has never uttered a word against minorities, and the Bharatiya Janata Party has “not just today but never” acted against them. He, however, made it clear that he is not ready to accept anyone as "special citizens".
The comments in an interview to PTI Videos late Sunday is Modi's most unequivocal on minorities amid an outcry from the opposition that his election speeches are communally divisive and polarising.
He also said the Congress has constantly violated the secular spirit of the Constitution, and that his campaign speeches are aimed at exposing the opposition parties' bid to appease minorities with vote bank politics.
In the interview, he was asked what he has to say about the apprehension among minorities because of his statements.
“I have not spoken a word against minorities. I am only talking against the vote bank politics of the Congress. The Congress is working against the Constitution, that's what I have been saying," he replied.
Modi said the makers of India's Constitution, including B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, had decided there will be no reservations on the basis of religion. "Now you are turning away from that. It is my responsibility to expose them. At that time there were no members of my party in the Constituent Assembly. It was an assembly of eminent people from across the country."
He was again asked if he has never meant to target the minorities in his election speeches, to which he said, “BJP has never been against minorities. Not just today but never.”
He then added that the Congress follows the path of appeasement. “I follow the path of satisfaction. (Woh log tushtikaran ke raastey pe chaltey hain, main santushtikaran ke raastey pe chalta hoon). Their politics is that of appeasement. My politics is that of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas'. We believe in ‘sarva dharma sambhav'. We want to take everyone along with us. We are not ready to accept anyone as special citizens but consider everyone equal,” the prime minister said.
