The president of a party that wants to see a temple where it doesn’t exist has inexplicably failed to see one where it proudly exists in black and white.
BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday claimed the Congress poll manifesto for Telangana had promised free electricity to mosques and churches and asked why temples had been left out.
However, Section 33 of the manifesto, under the head “Religious Affairs”, says: “Free power supply will be given to all temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship.”
Shah’s slip-up was part of a series of claims about a minority bias in the Congress manifesto that one reading of the document was enough to refute. His comments came a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi lampooned the Congress as “a university for spreading lies”.
A video of Shah’s speech at a poll rally at Amangal in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district was still available on the BJP’s official Twitter handle this evening and on the party chief’s Facebook page.
Shah had said: “Mitron, inhone vaada kiya hai masjid aur church ke bijli bill maaf karenge. Main unko puchhta hoon, ‘Bhaiya, mandir ka kya dosh hai? Mandir ke bijli kyun maaf nahi karoge? Sirf masjid aur church ke hi karoge?’ (Friends, they have promised to waive the electricity bills of mosques and churches. I want to ask them, ‘Brother, what sin have the temples committed? Why won’t you waive the electricity bills of temples? Why only mosques and churches?’)”
On Monday morning, Modi tore into the Congress at a rally in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
“Jhooth failane mein Congress ek university ban gayi hai, jahan pravesh karte hi jhooth ki PhD ka adhyayan shuru ho jata hai. Aur jo jyada number lekar aata hai use pad aur padvi di jaati hai (The Congress has become a university for spreading lies, where studies for a PhD in falsehood start right from the time of admission. Those who score high marks are awarded rank and position in the party),” he said.
On Sunday, Shah had insinuated at the Amangal rally that the Congress had promised only to recruit Urdu teachers. “Friends, they say Urdu teachers will be recruited separately. Where will the Telugu teachers go? What will happen to teachers who speak and write Telugu?” he said.
Point number 23 in the Congress manifesto, under “Minorities’ Welfare”, indeed says: “A special DSC (Departmental Selection Commission) will be conducted for recruitment of Urdu teachers.”
But while dealing with other categories, it adds: “A Mega DSC, as per old system, will be held to recruit 20,000 teachers. One lakh vacancies in various departments will be filled within one year of formation of the government.”
Shah’s next claim was: “Friends, they will give Rs 20 lakh to minority students. I want to ask if the OBCs, backward sections… who have no money to study should be given money or not?”
Section 13 of the Congress manifesto, under “Minorities’ Welfare”, says: “Poor minority students will be given Rs 20 lakh assistance for overseas education.”
Overall, the manifesto promises: “Rs 25 lakh assistance will be given to students belonging to SC, ST, minorities, OBC and other economically weaker sections for pursuing overseas education.”
Shah said: “They talk about building separate hospitals for minorities. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, ‘What about the poor who do not come under Telangana’s minority community?’”
Point 17 of the Congress manifesto, under “Minorities’ Welfare”, says: “Government hospitals will be established in minority-concentrated areas.”
The manifesto’s Section 6, which deals with health for all categories, says: “Under Aarogyasri, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided for all diseases. A 20-30 bedded (sic) hospital will be constructed in each Mandal. A 100-bedded hospital will be constructed in each Assembly segment. In each district, a NIMS-level super-speciality hospital and medical college will be established. Emergency trauma centres will be set up on the outskirts of Hyderabad. These centres will have the facility of CT Scan/MRI.”
