On Ambedkar Jayanti, PM Modi claims Congress turned SCs, STs, OBCs into 'second-class citizens'

Hisar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, accusing the party of turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into "second-class citizens" while in power.

Addressing a gathering after flagging off the first commercial flight from the Maharaja Agrasen airport here to Ayodhya and laying the foundation stone of a new terminal building at the airport, he alleged the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by Ambedkar.

The Congress "crushed" the Constitution whenever its government faced danger, Modi alleged and pointed to the 1975-77 Emergency to reinforce his claim. "The spirit of the Constitution is to have a uniform civil code, which I call a secular civil code. But the Congress never implemented it." He referred to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code by the BJP government in Uttarakhand to say, "See the misfortune of this country. Those who carry a copy of the Constitution, these Congress people, are opposing that." The Constitution has a provision of reservation for the SCs, STs and OBCs, but the Congress never cared for them, the PM claimed.

"Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to bring equality, but the Congress spread the virus of vote bank (politics) in the country. He wanted every poor person to live with dignity, with heads held high, to dream and fulfil them. But the Congress made the SCs, STs and OBCs second-class citizens," he said.

Sharpening his attack on the main opposition, Modi alleged the Congress turned the pious Constitution "into a weapon to gain power".

During the years-long rule of the Congress, water reached the swimming pools of the party's leaders, but tap water did not reach villages, he claimed. "Even 70 years after Independence, only 16 per cent of homes in villages had tap water... Who was most affected by this? It was the SCs, STs and OBCs." He slammed the Congress leadership, saying if they were so concerned about the welfare of the downtrodden, they should have ensured that water reached the homes of SCs, STs and OBCs when the party was in power.

"In the past six-seven years, our government provided tap water connections to over 12 crore rural homes. Eighty per cent of homes are getting tap water now, and we are committed to extending it to all remaining homes," he said.

Modi highlighted that his government has built 11 crore toilets and said the SCs, STs and OBCs had to face a lot of difficulties due to a lack of toilets earlier.

Even the banks were not open for the SCs, STs and backward classes and availing insurance and loans was a dream for them, Modi claimed and asserted that these communities were the biggest beneficiaries of the Jan Dhan scheme.

He said, "The Congress insulted Babasaheb when he was alive and he was defeated in elections twice. The then Congress government wanted to throw him out." "A conspiracy was hatched to keep him out of the system. When Ambedkar was no more, the Congress tried to erase the memories of him. It wanted to finish off his ideas," he said and claimed that people had to struggle to set up Ambedkar's memorial at Indu Mill in Mumbai.

Modi said his government has developed the places connected to Ambedkar's life into 'Panch Tirath'.

After flagging off the flight and laying the foundation stone, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre was emphasising connectivity while ensuring social justice and welfare of the poor. "This was the dream of Ambedkar," he stressed.

"This is what our constitution makers and those who sacrificed their lives for this nation had aspired for our country. These were their dreams," Modi told the gathering.

Modi said flights from Hisar to other cities will begin very soon. "This is to take the aspirations of Haryana to newer heights. It has been my promise to you that a person wearing 'hawai chappal' will fly in an aeroplane. We are seeing this promise being realised," said the PM.

"In the past 10 years, crores of Indians flew in a plane for the first time. We build airports at places where even good railway stations did not exist before," he said. Modi said that before 2014, India had 74 airports. But now India has more than 150 airports, said Modi.

"Our airline companies have placed orders for 2,000 new planes. When more planes are added, jobs -- be it in the shape of pilots, air hostesses and other services like ground staff -- will be generated. A big sector connected with aircraft maintenance will also generate a lot of jobs," Modi said.

"Non-stop development and accelerated development, this is the BJP government's mantra. Our aim is to bring change in the lives of the poor, tribals and women. Every decision and policy of our government is committed to Babasaheb Ambedkar," the PM said.

He accused the Congress of making tall claims about social justice. "But we have to remember that it did not give Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar and Chaudhary Charan Singh," Modi said and reminded people it was a BJP-supported dispensation that bestowed Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar posthumously.

It was a BJP government that gave Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh, he added.

He took a swipe at the previous Congress government in Haryana, accusing it of giving government jobs in lieu of bribes and through favouritism. Modi also accused the party of deceiving ex-servicemen over 'One Rank, One Pension'.

Modi alleged that the Muslim community suffered because of the Congress' appeasement policy.

"The Congress made amendments in the Waqf law hurriedly at the end of 2013 so that it could get votes in elections. They made this law above the Constitution, which was the biggest insult to Babasaheb." "I want to ask them, who are greedy for vote bank? If you really have some sympathy for Muslims, then Congress should appoint a Muslim as its president," he asked.

Striking a chord with the people, Modi used the Haryanvi dialect to say the state is known for its jawans, players and brotherhood.

On Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Modi said, "Today, for all of us, for the country, and especially Dalits, the weaker and deprived sections, for all of them it is an important day. It is a second Diwali for them."