BJP president J P Nadda said on Monday that there will be no reservation based on religion as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party are in power.
Accusing the opposition of planning to give reservation based on religion, he said, “It is clearly written in the Constitution that there will be no religion-based reservation.
“As long as PM Modi and BJP are in power, there will be no such reservation,” he told reporters.
Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday campaigned in the city for Modi, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi for the third consecutive time.
“We will not allow anyone to encroach on the reservation of our Dalit, tribal, backward and extremely backward classes. You will see what will happen to the opposition on June 4 (the date of vote counting),” Nadda told reporters.
Addressing an intellectuals’ meet here, he said, “For a long time, politics meant ‘divide and rule’. But now, it is ‘politics of development’.
“What was the political situation 10 years ago?” Nadda asked, and said India was being counted among the corrupt countries but the biggest problem was that the common man had become indifferent towards politics and had lost faith.
Nadda said this becomes a threat to democracy but in the last 10 years, Prime Minister Modi created trust among the common people.
Earlier, the opposition spread casteism and created divisions on the basis of religion and region, he said.
“Prime Minister Modi has also given a jolt to this culture. Today, the politics of development is going on and in this, ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka prayaas aur sabka vishwas’ (everyone’s support, development, effort and trust) is the basis.” Nadda also offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple and Kashi Vishwanath temple.
“I have prayed for the well-being of the society, peace and happiness and to give strength to the development works initiated in the Narendra Modi government. Modi will become PM for the third time with ‘400 paar’ seats,” he said.
Later, addressing a meeting of weavers in Varanasi, Nadda said, “When G20 was organised, the clothes given to the guests were made by our weaver brothers. Work was done to advance the traditional skills of the country.” The 18th G20 Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during 9-10 September 2023.
He said that work was done to enhance the traditional skills of the country. Similarly, at least Rs 300 crore is being invested by Deendayal Handloom Complex in Varanasi so that the weavers can develop rapidly.
Nadda said, “Modi ji worked to promote ‘Vocal for Local’, which is not just a slogan. This is the mantra of India’s economy and the soul of making India self-reliant.” Training his guns at the Congress, Nadda said, “Mahatma Gandhi had given the slogan of promoting khadi. But the Congress party ignored it.
“If anyone was concerned about khadi, it was Modi ji and he worked to bring it into the mainstream Therefore, ‘One District, One Product’ was encouraged.” Nadda also said the “change that has come in the lives of weavers after 2014 has been possible due to the strong leadership of Modi”.
He said, “Ten years ago, people thought nothing was going to change in this country. People had become indifferent.
“But under the leadership of Modi ji, the hopes and aspirations of the people have changed. Today they feel that a leader can change the country. Modi ji has worked to encourage the weaver community in every way,” he said.
Nadda said along with celebrating National Handloom Day on August 7, work was done to promote the “weaver brothers”. Today India’s turnover in the handloom sector has increased five times, he added.
He said the work that Modi done for the weavers in the last 10 years had not been done by any government in 70 years.
The BJP president also said after the people make Modi the prime minister for the third time on June 4, India will become the third-largest economy in the world in the coming times.
Addressing voters at a meeting (‘Prabhaavi Matdata Sammelan’) in Varanasi, Nadda said, “Today, under the leadership of Modi, ‘development’ has become the agenda of the country. Today no one asks anyone’s caste, today it has become the politics of report card.” “Your presence has made it clear that you have decided to make Modi the prime minister for the third time. You also know that in 10 years, Modi has changed the definition of politics, the culture of politics and the thinking of politics. Today politics has become about development.” “That is why today, every person in India is saying that the vote of 2024… is a resolution to fulfil the ‘resolve of developed India’ of 2047,” Nadda said.
“Today 46 per cent of the world’s real-time digital transactions take place in India… the cheapest and most effective medicines in the world are being manufactured in India.
“India stands second in exporting medicines to the world. India has moved from fourth position to second position in the steel industry and we have reached third position in the toy industry,” he said.
Varanasi will be going to the polls in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
The Congress has fielded its UP unit chief Ajay Rai from the seat.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)