People in power 'snatched' rights of Dalits, backwards: Modi

 In a veiled reference to Congress, BJP leader Narendra Modi today said people in power for the last 60 years have followed the divide and rule policy in the country and "conspired" to snatch the rights of Dalit and backward communities.

Modi said the Justice Ranganath Commission was used as an instrument to sow the seeds of poison.

Addressing a meeting here, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate sought to woo the Dalits and backwards saying there has been a "conspiracy" to snatch the rights given to the community by B R Ambedkar.

Modi also promised that after coming to power at the Centre, he would like to do something for his "family", pointing towards the crowd at a meeting of Dalit forum.
"For the past 60 years, people have indulged in vote bank politics to divide and rule. This has led to our division and fragmentation. They are experts in zeher ki kheti. The Ranganath Mishra Commission (on Religious and Linguistic Minorities) was set up to sow the seeds of poison," he said.

On a visit to Karnataka last week, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had launched an attack on the opposition BJP — accusing it of indulging in zeher ki kheti (sowing seeds of poison) to attain power.

Modi had hit out later saying it is Congress, not BJP, sowing seeds of poison.

In an apparent dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family, Modi said those who are running the country for 60 years think all "good deeds" have been done by one family and "no one else."

"I have done nothing for the family where I was born since I became chief minister," he said adding that he would do a lot of things for his "extended family" if given a chance to rule at the Centre.

He was pointing at the crowd at the meeting.

Invoking B R Ambedkar, Pandit Karupan and Jyotiba Phule among others, Modi said history of the last century shows that most reformers were from backward communities or were Dalits who spent their lives in the service of the downtrodden.

Terming himself as a "victim of untouchability", he said the city mayor did not attend a programme though his name was among those invited on the invitation card.

He said BJP has sent two people - one from the Dalit community and other, a fisherman - to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in the just-held elections.

Modi claimed the government at the Centre has not taken steps it should have for the benefits of Dalits. "I think it is in my destiny to do that now," he said adding that the government at the Centre will change in the next 100 days.