Today in Politics: Day after his remarks sparked row, PM Modi to address rally in Aligarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Aligarh of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, a day after his comments at a poll rally in Rajasthan sparked a row.

On Sunday, addressing a rally in Banswara, Modi had said that the Congress, if voted to power, could distribute the nation’s wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.

“Pehle jab unki sarkar thi, unhone kaha tha ki desh ki sampati par pehla adhikar Musalmano ka hai. Iska matlab, ye sampati ikatthi karke kisko baatenge? Jinke zyada bacche hain, unko baatenge, ghuspaithiyon ko baatenge. Kya aapki mehnat ki kamayi ka paisa ghuspaithiyon ko diya jayega? Aapko manzoor hai yeh? (Earlier, when they (the Congress) were in power, they had said Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you agree with this)?” the PM said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and national president J P Nadda will address rallies in Kanker of Chhattisgarh, and Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur respectively. While Aligarh and Kanker go to polls in the second phase on April 26, the three seats in Chhattisgarh will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.

In context: Modi in his speech was referring to former PM Manmohan Singh’s speech at a meeting of the National Development Council in 2006. “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources,” Singh had said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Modi for his remarks and said the PM’s level of lies