Quota for Dalits to stay: Modi

Opposition is spreading lies against govt: PM

Asserting that reservation to Dalits will not be scrapped, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday charged the Opposition parties for instigating them against the government.

“They (opposition parties) are also spreading lies against the government that the reservation to Dalits will be stopped. Our government is committed to uplift the Dalits and therefore there is no question of removing the reservation,” Modi said.

Addressing a public rally in the cotton city, Modi pointed out that it was the BJP government which had recognised Dr Ambedkar and celebrated his 125th birth anniversary in a big way.

Modi’s statement came in the wake of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s criticism that the BJP and the RSS were crushing students especially those from the Dalit community. Accusing the Congress of ignoring the architect of Indian Constitution Dr Ambedkar, Modi said Maharashtra government has bought the house in London where he stayed as a student and made it a memorial. “As long as Dr Ambedkar’s name is in the hearts of Indians nobody could do injustice to the Dalits in the country,” he said, adding “some people could not digest that a tea seller has become a Prime Minister”.

Once again charging the Congress, Modi said all the good schemes and reforms of the government were obstructed by the Congress as the BJP-led NDA did not have there requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha. “It is (schemes and reforms) passed in Lok Sabha but not able to be moved in Rajya Sabha since Congress is opposing it,” he added.

Listing out various welfare schemes during the present NDA regime, Modi said people were fed up with corruption and scandals during the previous Congress-led UPA regime.

“Now they (people) have got the confidence under the one-and-a-half year rule of the NDA,” Modi said and pointed out that the government has implemented schemes like Start Up India, Stand Up India and others.