Hisar, Apr 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress on birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, accusing the party of turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into "second-class citizens" while in power. Addressing a gathering after flagging off the first commercial flight from the Maharaja Agrasen airport here to Ayodhya and laying the foundation stone of a new terminal building at the airport, he alleged that the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by Ambedkar. "Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to bring equality, but 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. Sharpening his attack on the main opposition, Modi alleged the Congress turned the pious Constitution "into a weapon to gain power" and spread the "virus" of vote bank (politics). 

During the years-long rule of the Congress, water reached the swimming pools of the party's leaders but tap water did not reach villages, he claimed. "Even 70 years after Independence, only 16 per cent of homes in villages had tap water... Who were the most affected by this? It was the SCs, STs and OBCs." He slammed the Congress leadership, saying if they were so much concerned about the welfare of the downtrodden, those making speeches "on every street these days" should have ensured that water reached the homes of SCs, STs and OBCs when the party was in power. Modi said, "We do not have to forget what they did with Ambedkar. 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 even tried to erase his memories. It wanted to finish even his ideas," he said.

After flagging off the flight from here to Ayodhya and laying the foundation stone of the new terminal building, Modi said the BJP-led government at the Centre was emphasising connectivity on one hand and on the other was ensuring social justice and welfare of the poor. "This was the dream of Dr Ambedkar," he stressed. This is what our constitution makers and those who sacrificed their lives for this nation had aspired for our country. These were their dreams," Modi told the gathering. The new terminal building of Maharaja Agrasen Airport will be built at an estimated cost of over Rs 410 crore. The project is targeted to be completed in two years. The scheduled flights from Hisar to Ayodhya twice a week, and three flights in a week to Jammu, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh are expected to mark a significant leap in Haryana's aviation connectivity. 

Modi said flights from Hisar to other cities will begin very soon. This is to take the aspirations of Haryana to newer heights. It has been my promise to you that a person wearing 'hawai chappal' will fly in an aeroplane. We are seeing this promise being realised," said the PM. During the past 10 years, crores of Indians flew in a plane for the first time. We build airports at places where even good railway stations did not exist before," he said. To buttress his point, Modi said that before 2014, the country had 74 airports. But now India has more than 150 airports, said Modi as he took a swipe at the previous Congress government. Our airline companies have placed orders for 2,000 new planes. When more planes are added, jobs -- be it in the shape of pilots, air hostesses and other services like ground staff -- will be generated. A big sector connected with aircraft maintenance will also generate a lot of jobs," Modi said. Non-stop development and accelerated development, this is the BJP government's mantra. Our aim is to bring change in the lives of the poor, tribals and women. Every decision and policy of our government is committed to Babasaheb Ambedkar," the PM said. 

He accused the Congress of making tall claims about social justice and said, "But we have to remember that it did not give Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar and Chaudhary Charan Singh." Modi alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka gave reservations in tenders based on religion, "snatching the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs." But Ambedkar had said there would not be reservation based on religion and there is a bar on giving reservation on the basis of religion in the Constitution, he stressed. The Muslim community also suffered because of the Congress' appeasement policy. The Congress pleased only a few fanatics ('kattarpanthi') while the rest of the community, deprived of education, remained poor," he claimed. 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." They claimed that they did so in the interest of the Muslims, he said.

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. Why don't they do it?" he asked. Striking a chord with the people, Modi used the Haryanvi dialect to say the state is known for its jawans, players and brotherhood". Recalling the days when he worked for the BJP organisation in the 1990s, he said, "Many memories are connected with Hisar. When the BJP had given me the responsibility of Haryana, I worked with so many colleagues here." On Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Modi said, "Today, for all of us, for the country, and especially Dalits, the weaker and deprived sections, for all of them it is an important day. It is a second Diwali for them." "His life, his struggle and his life message have acted as a pillar of inspiration for us in the past 11 years of our journey," he added.

/Agencies