People in power 'snatched' rights of Dalits, backwards: BJP leader Narendra Modi

KOCHI: In a veiled reference to Congress, BJP leader Narendra Modi today said people in power for the last 60 years have followed the divide and rule policy in the country and "conspired" to snatch the rights of Dalit and backward communities.

Modi said the Justice Ranganath Commission was used as an instrument to sow the seeds of poison.

Addressing a meeting here, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate sought to woo the Dalits and backwards saying there has been a "conspiracy" to snatch the rights given to the community by B R Ambedkar.

Modi also promised that after coming to power at the Centre, he would like to do something for his "family", pointing towards the crowd at a meeting of Dalit forum.

"For the past 60 years, people have indulged in vote bank politics to divide and rule. This has led to our division and fragmentation. They are experts in zeher ki kheti. The Ranganath Mishra Commission (on Religious and Linguistic Minorities) was set up to sow the seeds of poison," he said.

On a visit to Karnataka last week, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had launched an attack on the opposition BJP -- accusing it of indulging in zeher ki kheti (sowing seeds of poison) to attain power.

Modi had hit out later saying it is Congress, not BJP, sowing seeds of poison.