Charging the Congress, BSP and SP with treating Muslims as a mere vote bank and doing little for their welfare, Narendra Modi today asked the minority community to shun these parties and support the BJP’s “politics of development” which was visible in Gujarat.

“Madam Sonia, SP and BSP only indulge in vote bank politics…. BJP is the only political party in the country which believes in politics of development,” the Gujarat Chief Minister said at an election rally here.

“What has the politics of vote bank given us in the past 60 years. People still do not have water to drink, no roofs over their head and no proper education for children,” he added. The BJP star campaigner said “one family” had ruled the country on the basis of vote bank politics but gave nothing to Muslims in return.

The only way to get rid of this politics was to support the “politics of development as was currently visible in Gujarat.”Despite the gloomy picture presented about Muslims in Gujarat, the Muslims of Gujarat have the maximum per capita income in the country,” he claimed.

Continuing his tirade against Manmohan Singh, Modi said that the Prime Minister feels bad when he is termed as “weak” but he should have taken a “bold” initiative against Pakistan “which only understood the language of force” and proved otherwise.

“The issue is not his health but his style of functioning. One of his union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan had been demanding voting rights for Bangladeshi infiltrators. If he (Manmohan Singh) was strong then he should have removed him immediately,” Modi said.

The BJP leader said that the local Muslim population in Assam was worried about the influx of Bangladeshis as they (infiltrators) took over all the employment opportunities of locals. Attacking the UPA government on the Sachar Committee report, Modi alleged that the ruling alliance was trying to “exploit Muslim sentiments without taking concrete steps on development issues”.

Criticising Singh’s remark that minorities had the first right on national resources, Modi said, “Congress believes Muslims have the first right on national resources but we believe that the poor belonging to any religion have the first right on it. If you believe me vote for us. If you don’t defeat my party.”

Taking a swipe at the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the BJP leader alleged that “extortion was the biggest business in Uttar Pradesh.

“The goons have been promoted. Earlier they used to ride bicycles (SP’s election symbol) and now they ride on elephants (BSP’s election symbol)”.