Modi’s speeches betray sense of worry, says Jairam

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, April 28

The Congress on Sunday brushed aside allegations that it would give away quotas meant for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs to the Muslims and said PM Narendra Modi’s post Phase-I speeches betrayed a sense of nervousness and worry.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said there was no Modi wave in the elections and the INDIA bloc was poised to secure a convincing majority along the lines of 2004.

He said the dramatic shift in PM’s language and the style of campaigning after the release of the Congress manifesto on April 5 and later the Phase-I polling on April 19 gave INDIA bloc the confidence that they were comfortably ahead of the BJP-led NDA after two phases of elections for 190 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.

On declining Ram Temple invite

We are convinced that we must have clarity about the basics and the basics are that religion is a private matter of faith... don’t forget I have Ram in both my first and last name. —Jairam Ramesh, Cong leader

A day after PM Modi termed the Karnataka Muslim reservation model of the Congress as “dangerous”, Ramesh defended the 4 per cent quota the Congress government in Karnataka has given to the Muslims saying “the basis for this decision is a 1994 survey that categorises Muslims as backwards”.

“I can’t think of a single instance where we have gone beyond the Constitution,” Ramesh said when asked to comment on the ruling BJP and PM’s minority appeasement charge.

The senior Congress strategist also ruled out restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, if elected to power noting that “history cannot be redone all the time” and that “one had to move on”.

He vehemently defended Congress’ stand on declining the invitation to attend the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya although the issue caused deep divisions in the party and many leaders quit citing it as the cause.

“We are convinced that we must have clarity about the basics and the basics are that religion is a private matter of faith... don’t forget I have Ram in both my first and last name,” Jairam Ramesh said, making light of serial defections from the grand old party to the BJP.

Ramesh also hinted at possibilities of Rahul Gandhi contesting from his old seat of Amethi and Priyanka Vadra being fielded from Rae Bareli.

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