PM's remarks on Muslims under fire from the BJP

New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks about the welfare of the Muslim community at the NDC meet triggered a controversy today with the BJP terming them as ''highly improper, objectionable and condemnable''.

In his address at the NDC, the Prime Minister said,''We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that the minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on resources.'' BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra told UNI that Dr Singh has earned the ''dubious distinction of becoming the first Prime Minister to divide the society on the basis of religion after the country's partition''.

''All the Prime Ministers till now have stated that the poor people of the country had the first claim over its resources but here is a Prime Minister telling the country that Muslims have the first claim.

''The PM has adopted a mean and sectarian stance... he is trying to pander to the Muslim votes in the coming elections in the most populous and politically sensitive state of Uttar Pradesh.'' Terming Dr Singh's remarks as ''unfortunate'', Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said every citizen has a right to the resources of the country. ''Whether a person is poor, a dalit or a tribal or even someone living in a jungle -- everyone has a right to the resources,'' he said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Prime Minister's statements were not just ''inappropriate but also dangerous''.

RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said it was ''tragic and unfortunate that leaders of the country had not learnt any lesson from the partition''.

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