Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress on the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, accusing the party of turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into “second-class citizens” while in power.

Amid the political heat over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Modi sought to put the Congress and its allies opposed to the law in a corner, accusing them of

destroying the Constitution by enacting a Waqf law, now amended, in 2013 above the constitutional values espoused by Ambedkar.

Modi alleged that the Muslim community suffered because of the Congress’ appeasement policy. “The Congress made amendments in the Waqf law hurriedly at the end of 2013 so that it could get votes in elections. They made this law above the Constitution, which was the biggest insult to Babasaheb.” “I want to ask them, who are greedy for vote bank? If you really have some  sympathy for Muslims, then Congress should appoint a Muslim as its president,” he asked.

Addressing a gathering after flagging off several infrastructure projects in Haryana, Modi alleged the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by Ambedkar. The Congress “crushed” the Constitution whenever its government faced danger, Modi alleged and pointed to the 1975-77 Emergency to reinforce his claim.

“The spirit of the Constitution is to have a uniform civil code, which I call a secular civil code. But the Congress never implemented it,” PM said.

He referred to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code by the BJP government in Uttarakhand to say, “See the misfortune of this country. Those who carry a copy of the Constitution, these Congress people, are opposing that.”

“If the Congress really has sympathy for Muslims, it should appoint a Muslim as its president and give 50 percent tickets to people from the community,” Modi said.

He alleged the Congress followed a policy of appeasement which “pleased” only a few “fundamentalists” from among Muslims, while the rest of the community remained neglected, illiterate and poor. The biggest proof of this Congress’ policy was the amendments it made in the Waqf law on the eve of the 2014 general elections, Modi said.

“From Independence till 2013, there was a Waqf law. But to win elections, and in pursuing a politics of appeasement and vote bank, the Congress made amendments in the Waqf law hurriedly late in 2013 so that it can get votes in elections (few months later in 2014),” said Modi.

“If they (the Congress) really have some sympathy for Muslims, they should appoint their president from the Muslim community. Why do not they do it?” he asked.

He also asked the Congress to give 50 percent election tickets to people belonging to the Muslim community. “After they win, they will put forth their views,” said Modi. “But they (the Congress) will not do it. They will give nothing from the Congress but will snatch away the rights of citizens,” he said.

The Congress never had any intention of doing any good to anybody including Muslims, he said. “This is the real truth of the Congress.”

He said the Waqf board owns lakhs of hectares land in the country which could have been utilised for the benefit of the poor, the destitute women and children. “Had it been honestly utilised, Muslims youths would not have to spend their lives by fixing puncture tyres.”

“It benefited only a handful of land mafia. There was no gain to Pasmanda Muslims. This land mafia was looting the land of Dalits, downtrodden, ‘aadiwasis’ and widows. Hundreds of widows women wrote to the Centre and then a debate on this law took place,” said Modi.

After the amendment to the Waqf law — enacted by his government and implemented from April 8 after the presidential approval to the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025— such loot of the poor will stop, he said. “We have made another amendment in the Waqf law. Under this, the Waqf board now cannot even touch the land and property of any ‘aadiwasi’ in the country,” he said. Modi had recently said the new Waqf law was a significant step taken by his government towards social justice. He said the previous law, enacted in 2013, was an attempt for appeasement of land mafia and Muslim fundamentalists.

The Constitution has a provision of reservation for the SCs, STs and OBCs, but the Congress never cared for them, the PM claimed. “Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to bring equality, but the Congress spread the virus of vote bank (politics) in the country. He wanted every poor person to live with dignity, with heads held high, to dream and fulfil them. But the Congress made the SCs, STs and OBCs second-class citizens,” he said.

He slammed the Congress leadership, saying if they were so concerned about the welfare of the downtrodden, they should have ensured that water reached the homes of SCs, STs and OBCs when the party was in power.

Modi highlighted that his government has built 11 crore toilets and said the SCs, STs and OBCs had to face a lot of difficulties due to a lack of toilets earlier.

“The Congress insulted Babasaheb when he was alive and he was defeated in elections twice. The then Congress government wanted to throw him out. A conspiracy was hatched to keep him out of the system. When Ambedkar was no more, the Congress tried to erase the memories of him. It wanted to finish off his ideas,” he said and claimed that people had to struggle to set up Ambedkar’s memorial at Indu Mill in Mumbai.

Modi said his government has developed the places connected to Ambedkar’s life into ‘Panch Tirath’. After flagging off the flight and laying the foundation stone, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre was emphasising connectivity while ensuring social justice and welfare of the poor. “This was the dream of Ambedkar,” he stressed.