A day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to enlighten him about the party’s manifesto, the BJP has clapped back by digging up a video of former PM Manmohan Singh and what he said about minorities being entitled to preferential treatment.

According to the BJP, in a video from April 2009, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "Minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, if they are poor, have prior claim to the resources of the nation."

Latching on to Singh’s remark, the BJP used it as fresh ammunition against the Congress amid the ongoing row over its alleged "wealth redistribution plan". PM Modi had touched off the controversy when he said at a poll rally that the Congress had promised to snatch away the people's hard-earned money and redistribute it to "infiltrators" and those "who have many children".

"In the run up to Lok Sabha election, Dr Manmohan Singh, reiterated his statement that minorities, especially poor Muslims, should get priority when it comes to the nation’s resources. He categorically stated that he stood by his earlier assertion that Muslims should have first right when it comes to resources," the BJP said in a caption to the video.

The saffron party stated that Manmohan Singh's past remarks bolster its claims that the Congress has a policy of giving preferential treatment to the Muslim community.

"This unequivocal assertion by Dr Manmohan Singh demolishes the Congress’ canards and clarifications on his previous statement...This is further proof of the Congress mindset to give preference to Muslims in everything, from reservation to resources," the BJP alleged.

This line of attack by the BJP came after Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to PM Modi, claiming that he was being misinformed by his advisors about things that are not mentioned in the Congress 'Nyay Patra' or manifesto.

In his two-page letter, Kharge sought time from the Prime Minister to meet him in person and "explain our Nyay Patra so that as the Prime Minister you don’t make statements that are false".

PM Modi had alleged that when the Congress was in power under Manmohan Singh, it said Muslims have the first right to the country's wealth. "This means that they will gather this property and distribute it among people who have more children, among infiltrators. Will your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you accept this? The Congress manifesto is saying this," the PM had said.

The Congress has denied these allegations and said their manifesto had no such promise. Its manifesto says that if elected, the party will conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census.

The Prime Minister, however, has doubled down, repeating his charge in rally after rally.

Source: India Today