Is INDIA Bloc Planning to 'Auction' PM Post? Modi Says Oppn Considering 'One Year, One PM'

Is INDIA bloc planning to ‘auction the prime ministerial post”? Politics surrounding the theory picked pace on Thursday after PM Narendra Modi claimed that the opposition alliance is contemplating “one year, one PM” formula to resolve their leadership issue.

Modi, addressing an election rally at Harda under the Betul Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, added that the world will ridicule such an arrangement in the largest democracy.

Reacting to his statement, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday said, “INDI alliance has no mission for the country. They have come up with their own corruption, dynastic profession, ambition and confusion. There is such a fight between confusion and ambition that we saw what happened in Ranchi. They want to auction PM Modi’s post.”

He added that it was time that the alliance announced their candidate for the prime ministerial post.

A day ago in Harda, PM Modi asked if voters were ready for “five prime ministers in five years” formula and called it a dangerous game by the opposition alliance in which the Congress is the biggest constituent.

The BJP’s star campaigner doubled down on the Congress’s alleged plan to redistribute wealth by what he called “snatching properties of people” and added that an advisor to the party’s ‘shehzada’ (a reference to Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi) has now suggested imposing an inheritance tax.

The PM was referring to remarks by Sam Pitroda, president of the Indian Overseas Congress who has talked about the inheritance tax law in the United States while answering a query on the “redistribution of wealth” issue.

The BJP stalwart said the Congress hates SCs/STs/OBCs to such an extent that it wants to give reservation provided to them in jobs and education to its “most loved community”.

He said while there is a clarity in the BJP over the leadership issue, the same is missing in the INDIA grouping.

“People should know to whom INDI alliance leaders want to hand over the reins of the country. It is clear in the BJP that it is Modi, but what about them?” he asked the gathering.

“There have been media reports that a discussion is going on among INDI alliance people over ‘one year, one PM’ formula. That means one PM in one year, second PM in the second year, third PM in the third year, fourth PM in the fourth year, fifth PM in the fifth year… They are busy auctioning the PM’s chair,” he said, lashing out at the opposition bloc.

Modi advised people to be alert about these leaders, who he maintained, are daydreaming like ‘Mungerilal Ke Sapne’.

He noted the Congress can go to any extent to please its vote-bank, and spoke about “wealth redistribution and inheritance tax” issues to lash out at the main opposition party.

“If anyone has more than one car, motorcycle or house, it will be confiscated if a Congress-led government assumes office,” Modi opined.

Asking people to vote for the BJP, Modi said their one vote has ensured that Indian economy jumped from the 11th spot to the 5th place in ten years and a grand Ram temple was built in Ayodhya after a wait of 500 years.

The PM maintained the Congress manifesto talks about religion-based reservation in jobs and education.

“The Congress Chief Minister of Telangana has just said that he will ensure reservation for Muslims,” he said.

The PM emphasised that when a Congress-led government was formed at the Centre, they first introduced religion-based quota in Andhra Pradesh.

“Then the Congress was not completely successful in its plan. But the Congress still wants to play that game,” he stated.

Modi said to dilute reservation for OBCs in Karnataka, the ruling Congress in the southern state has included Muslims under that category.

“This action of the Congress is an alarm bell for the OBC communities of the entire country,” he cautioned.

Modi pointed out that the Constitution makers had clearly decided that reservation cannot be given on the basis of religion.

“This was the basic spirit of our Constitution, but the actions of the Congress are against the basic spirit of the Constitution,” he said while accusing the grand old party of constantly trying to erase B R Ambedkar’s statute book and snatch reservation from SCs/STs/OBCs.

“The Congress wants to snatch reservation from SCs/STs/OBCs and give it to its special vote-bank,” he said.

After independence, the biggest opposition to the Congress came from Ambedkar, the chief Constitution maker who was farsighted, the PM stated.

“Baba Saheb had seen at that time how the Congress was taking the country on the path of decline,” he said.

The BJP stalwart accused the Congress of doing vote-bank politics in the name of secularism and “killing” the idea of social justice.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP candidate from Vidisha, was also present on the occasion.

The saffron party has fielded Durgadas Uikey from Betul which along with Vidisha and seven other Lok Sabha seats will vote in the third phase on May 7.

(With inputs from PTI)

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