Mohan Yadav accuses Congress of Muslim appeasement, vote-bank politics

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday accused the Congress of using Muslims as a vote bank, saying due to this appeasement politics, it had removed some important parts of national song 'Vande Mataram' even before Independence.

Addressing the concluding session of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) executive committee meeting in the religious city of Orchha in Niwari district, he said the Congress is still following the same policy.

He called upon party workers to go among people and highlight the achievements of the BJP government at the Centre as well as in Madhya Pradesh, and also create an atmosphere across the state against the appeasement policy of the main Opposition party.

The Chief Minister said, "The Congress has always taken the votes of the Muslim community and gained power, but has never worked for their development. They were simply used as a vote bank."

He said the Muslim community blindly trusted the Congress, but the Grand Old Party has worked to pit Muslims against Hindus. The Congress had opposed parts of 'Vande Mataram' even before Independence and was continuing to do so even now.

Previously, only two stanzas of Vande Mataram were sung at gatherings and official functions. But during the winter session of Parliament, the NDA government passed a Bill, granting legal protection to the full version (6 stanzas) of the national song.

Following this, a controversy arose over the singing of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters on August 15. Later, on August 19, the Congress Working Committee decided to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram in its programmes.

The BJP has been continuously trying to corner the Congress on this issue, alleging the Opposition party made this decision only to appease minorities.

Chief Minister Yadav insisted Opposition parties were adopting a "double-faced" approach on political issues.

Referring to the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Madhya Pradesh, he claimed that the Congress had not openly objected to the UCC, but instead put forward two of its Muslim MLAs to voice opposition to the measure, a single set of personal laws for all state residents.

In a statement issued later, Yadav accused the Congress of compromising with the Muslim League to gain power and continuously inciting class conflict.

"Due to its hunger for power, the Congress has repeatedly attempted to divide society. In contrast, the BJP works with the spirit of social harmony and Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas," the CM asserted.

He said the BJP's objective was to take along all sections of society and move forward on the path of development.

Listing the achievements of the Madhya Pradesh government, Yadav said his administration has made significant progress in the areas of electricity, education, health, and employment.

He said during the Congress regime, the state's budget was approximately Rs 22,000 crore and power generation capacity was approximately 5,000 megawatts. Today, the state's budget is Rs 4.38 lakh crore rupees and power generation capacity has reached 31,000 megawatts.

Yadav said during the Congress regime, the number of MBBS seats in the state was 1,250 which has now increased to 6,250. As many as 39 medical colleges are currently operating in the state, with a target to increase the number to more than 50.

Yadav said, "The target is to fill up 2,50,000 posts in the next two years. The recruitment process is underway for 18,500 police posts. Recruitment is underway for 85,000 different types of posts. As many as 8,60,000 farmers are being given the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and monthly stipends are being deposited into the accounts of 1.25 crore Ladli sisters."

The Chief Minister said during the Congress regime, the irrigated area in MP was approximately 7.5 lakh hectares, but today that figure has gone up to 55 lakh hectares.

He described the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project as a historic gift for Bundelkhand and said it will transform the backward region through irrigation, drinking water, industry, and electricity.

During the long Congress regime, Bundelkhand faced problems of migration and backwardness, while the BJP government is leading the region towards prosperity. The Ken-Betwa Project will enable Bundelkhand to surpass Punjab and Haryana in foodgrain production, the CM asserted.