Poor not religious group should have first claim: BJP

New Delhi, Dec 12: Asserting that it should be the poor who should have first claim on the country's resources, the BJP today condemned the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the National Development Council that minorities, particularly, the Muslims, should have such right.

The resolution, adopted at the BJP Parliamentary Party, said that the PM's statement was no accident but his 'latest step' in the series of taken by the UPA government to appease Muslims disregarding the injury that would be inflicted on the nation and to Muslims themselves.

Citing the ''step by step moves to woo the Muslim votes, the BJP said it was shameful that the UPA deliberately stoked a controversy on the singing of national song -- Vande Mataram.'' The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh tried to implement a quota for Muslims which was struck as ''unconstitutional'' by the Courts. The government's decision to institute head count in Defence Forces was, for the first time, criticised publicly by the heads of three wings of the forces. The Centre rushed to amend the Foreigners Act after the Court had struck down the IMDT act as ''unconstitutional to aid and abet infiltration from Bangladesh. The Congress leaders and its backers had pleaded for mercy for perpetrator held guilty of the attack on Indian Parliament,'' they said.

"Each of these steps were part of a carefully thought out actions to win back the vote banks, irrespective of the harm done to the nation. The country will never forget the Partition and the statement of PM and each of these steps are divisive and have inflicted incalculable harm to national interest, BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra alleged.

He said the BJP wanted the country to see through the evil and cynical designs of the UPA and awaken to the grave harm they intend to do for nation's security, unity and integrity. "We also appeal to Muslims as to see how they are sought to be used once against as a mere vote bank and how this could harm their interest in the long run", he added.

UNI

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