Guwahati, Apr 24 (PTI) Congress Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain on Wednesday claimed that the BJP has “resorted to its old tactic of polarising the country” as it failed to keep its pre-poll promises.
“By now, the country has already assessed the outcome of the first phase elections and going by PM Narendra Modi’s recent remarks, they (BJP) are now jittery,” Hussain told PTI in an interview.
Claiming that opposition INDIA bloc will win over 70 per cent of 102 seats that went to the polls last week, he added, “This has rattled them and they are now making polarising statements.”
He alleged that the had BJP failed to meet the promises it made to people like jobs, bringing back black money, introducing bullet trains and developing 100 smart cities.
“When there is nothing to showcase in the report card, they have to resort to their old tactic of polarising, communalising, dividing the country,” the MP from Karnataka added.
Reacting to BJP’s oft-repeated allegation against Congress’ ‘politics of appeasement’, Hussain said, “If protecting minorities in a secular democracy, giving them equal rights, access to education, health, infrastructure and other facilities is appeasement, then what else democracy is for.”
“By saying Congress and other parties are appeasing the minorities, they are appeasing the majorities. The country is neither for majority or minority, it is for every single citizen,” he added.
Mentioning Congress’ thrust for a caste census, the MP said the measure is to reach out to the disadvantaged people and ensure level playing field for all in terms of access to facilities.
Taking a dig at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hussain alleged that the BJP-led state government has also failed to keep its promises.
“They have nothing to show and are depending on their ‘tamasha’ to reach out to people. But people have realised the reality of the government,” he asserted.
Questioning Sarma’s purported steps for welfare of Muslims, he said, “The CM is saying the madrassas were closed for welfare of minorities. But if their welfare was in mind, the madrassas should rather have been modernised.”
Hussain maintained that if the CM wants to work for the Muslims, the government should start special programmes rather than Sarma making ‘degrading statements’ about the community.