'Should majority get all rights?' PM Modi takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi's 'aabadi-haq' remark

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, October 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday led a strong counter to the Congress and INDIA bloc’s OBC push by asking if the Opposition wanted the numerically strong majority to pocket all benefits and rights at the cost of the minorities, particularly the Muslims.

At a poll rally in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur today, Modi said the poor had the largest population in the country and they had the first right on national resources no matter which caste they represented, be it Scheduled Caste, backward, tribal or general.

“If the poor benefit, the country benefits. But the Congress and its allies want to divide the Hindus and destroy the country. They also want to divide the poor, whereas for me the welfare of the poor is the only goal…. We have to stay cautious against this Congress conspiracy,” the Prime Minister said, attacking the Congress and anti-BJP INDIA group parties a day after the Bihar caste census showed that OBCs and EBCs formed over 63% of the state’s population. Unveiling the ruling BJP’s retort to the “jitni aabadi, utna haq” stance of Rahul Gandhi after the publication of Bihar’s caste survey data yesterday, the PM said: “The Congress has started singing a new tune since yesterday. “They say ‘jitni aabadi, utna haq’. I say the largest population in the country is that of the poor, and the welfare of the poor is my aim. I am wondering what former PM Manmohan Singh would be thinking today. He used to say the minorities have the first right on national resources and within the minorities, the Muslims have a greater right. Now the Congress says ‘aabadi’ will determine whose rights will take precedence. Does the Congress want to reduce the rights of minorities?” asked Modi.

He said if population was to become the marker of citizen rights then Hindus would get to grab all the rights.

Singhvi questions Rahul Gandhi’s remark

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday questioned the “jitni aabadi, utna haq” line of Rahul Gandhi, saying in a post on X it amounted to “majoritarianism”. He later deleted his post after AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh dissociated from the remarks.

What Rahul Gandhi said post census

Rahul Gandhi’s Monday post said: “Bihar caste survey shows that the population of OBCs, SCs, STs is 84% in the state. This is why a caste census is important. ‘Jitni aabadi, utna haq’ is our pledge.”