Launching a blistering attack on the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said for the sake of vote bank politics, the Opposition party could not take a stand on natonalism and Article 370, triple talaq and the NRC.
Addressing a poll rally near Faridabad, the BJP president repeated his assertion that every illegal migrant in the country will be sent home before the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Citing the Government’s recent move on Article 370, Shah said terrorism will be “eliminated” from the country.
Shah also targeted former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, alleging that he had usurped farm land for the son-in-law of the Gandhi family, an apparent reference to Robert Vadra.
The Home Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had fulfilled the long-pending wish of the people with the abrogation of the special status for Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370, and making Kashmir an integral part of the nation. “Several parties came, several CMs, PMs came in the last 70 years, but nobody dared to nullify Article 370,” Shah said.
The Home Minister said Modi had sent a strong signal by nullifying Article 370, adding that that the BJP Government will root out terrorism. “We will not let any sign (‘naamo nishan’) of terrorism remain in this country,” he said.
He said the BJP, its allies and several other parties supported the abrogation of Article 370. “On the other side, the Congress opposed it.”
“It is not a new thing. Whenever there is a question of nationalism, the Congress party keeps mum (“Congress party ko saanp soongh jaata hai”),” he charged. “They cannot take a stand because of their vote bank,” he added.
“The Congress should make clear its stand, whether it is in favour of removal of Article 370 or not. Friends, they will not speak. Instead of the country, they like power and the vote bank,” he said.
He alleged that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kept mum “when Pakistan-sponsored terrorists beheaded our soldiers and mutilated their bodies after infiltrating into our country.” He said it was Prime Minister Modi “with a 56-inch chest” who ordered surgical and air strikes to kill terrorists in their dens in Pakistan after the Uri and Pulwama attacks in Kashmir.
On the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update in Assam, Shah said the Congress opposed the move against illegal immigrants. “The Congress is asking why you are throwing out infiltrators. Where will they go, what will they eat and where will they stay?” he said.
“Hooda sahib, why are you worried? Are they related to you,” he said, directing a barb against the Congress Legislature Party chief in Haryana. Shah said before 2024, each “infiltrator” will be ousted by the BJP Government.
Shah accused Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has been Haryana Chief Minister twice, of usurping farmers’ land to benefit Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra. “These people were doing “dalali’’ (acting as middlemen),” he alleged. Whenever a Congress government came, corruption grew and “gundagardi’’ and casteism rose,” he said.
He said Chief Minister M L Khattar had provided a corruption-free Government for the past five years and now there is no need for “sifarish’’ or lobbying for Government jobs and transfers.
He said past Congress Governments were guided by “the 3 Ds” — “Darbari, Damad and Damad ke dalal”. Shah was referring to the culture of courtiers or “Darbaris” in the party and to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi’’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and his land deals, while mentioning “Damad and Damad ke dalal”.
“Congress ki sarkaar teen “D’’ ke siddhant par chalti thi. Pehla “D’’ darbariyon ki sarkar, doosra “D’’ damaad ki sarkar aur teesra “D’’ damaad ke dalalon ki sarkaar,” he said at an election rally in Panipat in Haryana.
Launching a scathing attack on former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Shah accused him of “surrendering the lands of Haryana farmers at the Dilli Durbar” in a veiled attack on the Gandhi family. Shah questioned, “Do you want a government in Haryana that will bid for the son-in-law of the Gandhi family who will indulge in corruption in Haryana or a Government that is corruption-free?”
Making a comparison between the amount of central assistance for Haryana during the UPA and NDA regimes, Shah made a case for the BJP in the State that was rocked by several allegations of corruption during the rule of Hooda.
He accused the Congress Government for ignoring the cities of Faridabad and Gurugram in allocating funds for development in spite of these two cities contributing handsome amount to the exchequer.
Talking about the achievements of Khattar Government, the Union Home Minister said that there are LPG cylinders in every home, even in remote villages.
He said that most of the parts of the state are provided electricity round the clock and people can feel the difference what they have been facing prior to the BJP rule.
