Araria: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday challenged the Congress party for denying that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making the statement that "Muslims have the first right to the country's wealth". PM Modi pointed out a video which has come to the light where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared to repeat his statement that “Muslims have the first right to the country’s wealth.”

Addressing an election rally in the Araria Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, PM Modi said, “Some people get very angry when I talk about Congress giving priority to only Muslims. They have been talking about me since last week. Today, I challenge all of them.”

"They said that Manmohan Singh never said something like this. However, today, another one of his old videos has come to light in which he is saying the same thing," PM Modi stated. 

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted a video on X in which Manmohan Singh looks to be taking queries from the media.

In the video, which doesn't have the sequence where the  reporter asks the question, Manmohan Singh can be heard saying, “I did not say the same thing. I said minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, if they are poor, they have a prior claim on the resources of the nation. I used the word 'all' for all minorities and I added, particularly Muslim minorities, if they are poor, they have prior right to resources and I stand by it.”

In his election rally speech, he alleged that the grand old party has "stolen" reservations meant for the OBCs and transferring the benefits to Muslims in Karnataka, where the party is in power. 

"Being an OBC myself, I know the struggles encountered by the backward classes", said Modi, adding, "in future, they may loot reservations for SCs and STs as well".

The grand old party wanted to copy the "conspiracy" in the rest of the country, including in Bihar where its ally "is silent" on the move in the southern state, he alleged. (With inputs from agencies)