PM Modi misquoted ex-PM Manmohan Singh in speech, says political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla

Manmohan Singh had said that minorities have the "first claim" on India's assets. PM Modi's statement suggested that Singh had said that Muslims have the first right to India's assets.

"The speech by the honourable Prime Minister yesterday unfortunately bordered on hate speech. He completely misquoted," Poonawalla said.

"When our former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh ji spoke about resources for minorities, he meant -- minorities that included Dalits, the backward, women, children and Muslims. Also, the former PM did not say that minorities had a first right to resources he said that they had the first claim. But the prime minister by saying what he said put an entire section of minorities under immense pressure," Poonawalla said.

Furthermore, Poonawalla alleged that Modi's speech contained divisive terms like "Ghuspaithiye".

Poonawalla alleged that the BJP's attempt to polarize the election along Hindu-Muslim lines could be driven by insecurity after the completion of the first phase of polls.

"But the question is why is the BJP doing this? The BJP is doing this because in the first phase that went to poll, out of the 102 seats the BJP has realised that they are completely wiped out and therefore they are completely insecure and they are now trying to polarize the election into a Hindu Muslim election," Poonawalla said.

"And therefore I want to tell the people of India "saheb to karenge mann ki baat, Lekin ap karna kaam ki baat," Poonawala said.

Poonawalla's remarks came after Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress's manifesto talks about taking "the gold of mothers and sisters" and distributing that wealth.

"Their Mangalsutra, the question is not of the cost of gold in it, it is linked to her dreams of her life. You are talking of snatching it in your manifesto...will distribute gold and redistribute. When it was their government, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country's wealth. Who will you distribute after collecting the wealth, distribute it to those who have more children, and distribute it to infiltrators. Will the money of your hard labour be given to infiltrators, is this acceptable to you? Congress manifesto is saying that they will calculate the gold of mothers, sisters and then redistribute the wealth to those whom the Manmohan Singh government had said that the first right to resources is of Muslims. Brothers, sisters, this thinking of urban Naxals, my mothers, sisters, they will not allow even your Mangalsutra to remain in your possession, they will go to this extent," PM Modi said.

PM Modi was referring to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks made in December 2006 that the minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, should have first claim on the country's resources. (ANI)