The BJP continued to target the Congress manifesto on Friday, accusing the party of Muslim appeasement, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah stating that Congress wanted to take the personal law forward to divide the country.
Stressing that people's inclination towards the BJP has only increased since the Congress repeated its old habit of appeasement in its manifesto, Amit Shah said: "First of all, I would like to appeal to the voters to elect a party that stands on its words--for a secure and prosperous country and the welfare of the poor. After the Congress manifesto was released, people's inclination towards the BJP further increased because, in its manifesto, Congress has repeated its old habit of appeasement. The Congress manifesto speaks of taking personal law forward. I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi, Will this country now work as per Sharia?" he said.
"Our Constitution is secular, laws of the land can't be formed based on religion," Amit Shah added.
He added that the BJP has clearly said in its manifesto that it will bring a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), reiterating that personal laws can't be implemented in this country.
BJP chief J P Nadda too targeted the Congress, alleging that the party aimed to snatch the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs to benefit Muslims.
Accusing the Congress of having a hidden agenda, the opposition party has long been making the grounds for the minority community to be declared as SCs and give them reservations.
In a video statement, Nadda said the Congress has in some states tried to provide reservations to Muslims, including in Karnataka. "The BJP government had ended the quota but it was brought back by the Siddaramaiah government. It had attempted to give reservations to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh too but could not due to the Supreme Court's orders," he said.
He said the Congress in its 2009 election manifesto had promised reservation for Muslims in educational institutions and jobs through a sub-quota in the Other Backward Classes category. Nadda said the Congress' stand against majoritarianism in its 2024 poll manifesto underscores its "hate" for the SCs, STs and the OBCs as they make up for a majority in the society. "False claims were made through the Sachar committee report and it was said that Muslims are worse off than Dalits. It means that the Congress had been making the ground for Muslims to be declared as SCs so that they can given the reservation due to Dalits," Nadda said.
