Kabristan versus Shamshaan: Is PM Modi guilty of making communal remarks?

PM Narendra Modi has stirred a controversy after he allegedly made communal remarks at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Lucknow, Feb 20: No election in the largest state of India--Uttar Pradesh--is complete without dividing the voters on caste and communal lines. The ongoing long-drawn UP assembly elections are no different. We have seen politicians from almost all political parties trying to attract people's attention by bringing caste and religion lines. The latest leader to do so is none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Or, that is what the opposition Congress thinks so.

In fact, after PM Modi attended an election rally in Fatehpur district of UP on Sunday, the Congress accused the PM of dividing the voters on communal lines. The Congress has approached the Election Commission of India to take stock of the matter and urged PM Modi to refrain from making such statements which bring 'disrepute' to his post.

"If a graveyard is built in a village, so should there be a cremation ground. If there is electricity in Ramzan, it should also be there on Diwali; there should be no discrimination," the PM said at the rally.

PM Modi accused rival Samajwadi Party of indulging in caste and communal politics. "In Uttar Pradesh, everyone feels that they are being discriminated against and they are being denied their rights. Dalits complain that their share is given to the Other Backward Classes, who in turn point fingers towards Muslims and Yadavs, while Yadavs say that only the family people get the benefits," Modi said.

PM Modi urged the voters to elect the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state, as the central government's schemes don't discriminate people based on their caste and religion.

"The Prime Minister is invoking communalism in order to polarise voters. The ECI should take note of this because it is a clear violation of its rules and regulations. He has brought disrepute to his post and has violated the principles for which he took his oath. These conservative ideas are subscribed by the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the like-minded organisations. It seems that the Prime Minister is unable to come out of this mentality. We hope the ECI will take action in this," Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI.

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