DigitEye India Fact Checkers
The allegations that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had advocated 2006 that Muslims have the first right to country’s resources have surfaced during the 2024 elections. These allegations raised a political storm in the middle of the election campaign with the Opposition Congress Party complaining with the Election Commission.
The Congress complaint highlighted a part of Modi’s speech in which he said: “When they (Congress) were in power earlier, they said that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources.” It has been reported here by news outlets as well.
FACT CHECK
Digiteye India searched for the original speech of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose speech at the at the 52nd national development council meeting, where the remark was alleged to have been made on December 9, 2006.
The archived copy of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech at the meeting referred to “collective priorities”, stressing on the need to develop several sectors – like agriculture, irrigation, water resources, health, education among others. These sectors needed development, “along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities, and women and children. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources,” he said.
See the full text of the speech here.
Manmohan Singh said: “I believe our collective priorities are clear. Agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children. The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability. The Planning Commission will of course undertake a thorough review of ongoing programmes to eliminate those which have outlived their original rationale, but we cannot escape from the fact that the Centre’s resources will be stretched in the immediate future and an increasing share of the responsibility will have to be shouldered by the states.”
It was clear that former PM Manmohan Singh had stressed on the importance of prioritising plans and schemes which work towards uplifting Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), other backward classes, women, children, and minorities, including the Muslims but not just the Muslim community alone. However, this was misinterpreted taking only the last sentences without linking them to the preceding ones to convey the impression that he was pitching for Muslims getting the first right to country’s resources as seen in a report by the The Times of India in 2006 here.
When eyebrows were raised, a clarification from the PMO came quickly the next day (December 10, 2006) as seen below:
Hence, the claim that Manmohan Singh said that Muslims alone have the first claim on country’s resouces is misleading. He said, STs, SCs, and minorities, including the Muslims in particular but not just the Muslims alone.
Claim: Former PM Manmohan Singh said Muslims have the first claim on country’s resources.
Conclusion: Former PM Manmohan Singh had stressed on the importance of prioritising plans and schemes which work towards uplifting Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), other backward classes, women, children, and minorities, including the Muslims but not just the Muslim community alone.
Rating: Misrepresentation — 
