Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh):

Clarifying his “infiltrators” and “those with more children” remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he did not only talk about Muslims but spoke about every poor family, adding that the day he starts doing Hindu-Muslim, he will be “unworthy of public life.”

In an interview with News 18, PM Modi said that he does not market love towards Muslims, “I do not work for a vote bank. I believe in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”

“I am shocked. Who told you that whenever one talks of people with more children, the inference is they are Muslims? Why are you so unjust towards Muslims? This is the situation in poor families too. Where there is poverty, there are more children, irrespective of their social circle. I didn’t mention either Hindu or Muslim. I have said that one should have as many children as you can take care of. Don’t let a situation arise where the government has to take care of your children,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

Referring to the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat when he was the Chief Minister of the state, PM Modi said that his opponents “tarnished” his image among the Muslims after 2002 (the Godhra riots).

“This issue is not about Muslims. Irrespective of how supportive individual Muslims are of Modi, there is a wave of thought that dictates to them, ‘do this, do that’. In my house, there are all Muslim families around me. Eid was also celebrated in our house, and there were other festivals in our house. Food was not cooked in our house on the day of Eid. Food used to come to my place from all the Muslim families. When Muharram started, we needed to come out from under the Tajiya, we were taught. I grew up in that world. Even today, many of my friends are Muslims. After 2002 (Godhra), my image was tarnished,” he added.

Asked whether Muslims would vote for him in this Lok Sabha election, he said that the “people of the country will vote for me.”

“The day I start doing Hindu-Muslims, I won’t be entitled to live in the public domain. I won’t do Hindu-Muslim. This is my pledge,” PM Modi said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi, in a public rally in Rajasthan, alleged Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among “those having more children.”

Referring to reports about Congress’s intention to redistribute wealth if elected to power, the Prime Minister said the party would conduct a survey and they would not even let Mangalsutra remain with women and “will go to this extent.”

Prime Minister Modi filed on Tuesday his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister is seeking a third consecutive term from the constituency and hoping to win with a record margin.

PM Modi, the sitting MP and BJP’s candidate, filed his nomination papers at the district magistrate’s office. Varanasi will go in for polling in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on June 1. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)