New Delhi: Accusing opposition, which has often targeted BJP-led NDA Government over intolerance issue, of practicing “divide and rule” policy for making political gains, Union Minister Rajnath Singh has said only “justice and humanity and not caste and religion” form basis of Modi government’s decision-making.

“Our Prime Minister, even before he became Prime Minister, had given the slogan of sab ka sath, sab ka vikas (inclusive growth), that we don’t intend to form government and run the government, practicing divide and rule policy.

“Rather we want sab ka sath sab ka vikas. We don’t make decisions based on caste, religion, creed, but on the basis of justice and humanity,” Singh during an event held here to mark the completion of Government’s two years in office. Without naming opposition parties, Singh said “these are those people” who practice “divide and rule” policy for “forming governments” while the ruling BJP “is defamed”. In the past, he claimed, people would be put behind bars “immediately even if a small incident occurred or there were inputs on terror”. However, during the NDA regime, Singh said, action is taken only on the basis of proper interrogation and after having ample evidences. He also cited an example of how innocent people were released on his instructions after they were taken into custody over some inputs. “… if we were the people who run government on the basis of caste, religion, creed, we would not have done this (released innocents). Even if we play politics, we do so on the basis of justice and humanity. And if we run government, that too, we do on the basis of justice and humanity,” he added. The Union Home Minister claimed the country has seen “charismatic change” over the period and said a “situation may evolve” in four-five years by when India may attain two digit growth rate. Noting the NDA Government received in legacy a “mismanaged economy” from the previous UPA regime, Singh said the change could be brought about thanks to the “strong will power and intervention” as he charged the Congress-led alliance of being corrupt. He also lauded the Narendra Modi dispensation of offering “corruption-free” governance, unlike what was witnessed during previous Manmohan Singh Government. Targeting the UPA, Singh said the NDA Government received in legacy a “poor economy” with growth rate plunging below six percent two years ago. However, the NDA Government managed to bring about “charismatic change” and achieve an approximate growth rate of 7.5 per cent. — PTI