Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that the Congress was bitten by "votebank ka virus" for opposing the newly-passed Waqf Amendment Act, saying the party betrayed BR Ambedkar's vision of the Constitution for social justice by weaponising it for their own benefit and turning it into a tool for "appeasement".

"Congress turned our sacred Constitution into a weapon for gaining power. Whenever Congress sensed a threat to its hold on power, it trampled the Constitution," PM Modi said while inaugurating the Hisar airport in Haryana.

Going a step further, PM Modi claimed that the Congress ignored Ambedkar's vision of "equality" and instead, spread the "virus of vote bank politics."

"Congress has become the destroyer of Constitutions. Dr Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality, but Congress spread the virus of vote-bank politics. Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward to be able to live with dignity and with their heads held high, to have dreams and complete them," he said.

Drawing attention to the newly amended Waqf act, the Prime Minister said that it was the need of the hour as the "lakhs of hectares" of land were not being used to serve the poor and needy, but the land mafia instead.

"There are lakhs of hectares of land in the name of Waqf. If benefits from Waqf properties had been given to the needy, it would have benefitted them. But the land mafia benefitted from these properties," he said.

PM Modi pointed out that with the passage of the newly-amended Act, poor Muslims will get justice and the "loot of the poor will stop."

Upping the ante on Ambedkar Jayanti, PM Modi claimed that Congress never used the Constitution to benefit anyone, including the Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

"Congress has always treated SCs, STs, and OBCs as second-class citizens. While their leaders were enjoying themselves in their own swimming pools, only 16 out of every household had the facility to get piped water," said PM Modi.

Source: India Today