HM Amit Shah kickstarts BJP campaign; rips political dynasties, Maha Oppn leaders (Lead)

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Kickstarting Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2024 parliament polls campaign Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on ‘dynastic politics’ in the country, slammed Maharashtra Opposition leaders, and said the state has ‘suffered’ Sharad Pawar for 50 years, in two back-to-back rallies on Tuesday.

Addressing a Youth Convention (Jalgaon) and later a BJP rally (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) this evening, Home Minister Shah said that the INDIA bloc led by Rahul-Baba (Rahul Gandhi) has cobbled up before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is just a motley of parties with dynastic ambitions with no concern for development or masses in the country.

“These parties have no internal democracy, how can they strengthen India’s democracy, develop it and forge it ahead? Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son Rahul Gandhi PM, Uddhav Thackeray is keen to make his son Aditya as CM, Sharad Pawar desires to make his daughter Supriya Sule CM, Mamata Banerjee is trying to make her nephew (Abhishek) CM, M.K. Stalin wants to make his son (Udhayanidhi) the CM…” thundered Home Minister Shah.

Amidst all this ‘parivarwad’, he said there is nobody except Modi to think and care for the masses and aim to make the country fully developed by 2047, and make a world leader, a ‘Vishwaguru’.

“Maharashtra has endured Sharad Pawar for 50 years, but look at Modi’s track record of the past 10 years when you go to vote… He should show his account, None of these dynastic parties can take the country forward,” roared Home Minister Shah.

He also urged people of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to uproot the ‘Majlis’ (All India Majlis-E-Itthadul Muslimeen – AIMIM) from the city and “send a gift of ‘Lotus’ to Modi from here.

He said in the past 10 years, Modi has made India safe and secure, citing how during the erstwhile UPA rule, there were many bomb attacks, terrorists entered from Pakistan, created mayhem and went with no retaliation.

“Then came the BJP, and when the terrorists struck in Uri and Pulwama, Modi carried out surgical and air strikes right inside Pakistan territory,” Home Minister Shah pointed out.

It was PM Modi who revoked the Article 370 of the Constitution to make Kashmir a part of India which the Congress governments could not do for 70 years, but Rahul Gandhi had expressed reservations.

“Rahul-baba used to tell me in Parliament not to strike down Article 370 or there will be rivers of blood in Kashmir. Five years has passed… nothing of the sort has happened,” said Home Minister Shah in a jibe at the Congress leader.

In the 10 years of ex-PM Manmohan Singh, the Indian economy languished at the 11th position in the world, but after Modi became the PM, he brought it to the 5th position, and “its PM Modi’s guarantee that if he gets a third terms, he will catapult the economy to the 3rd spot,” declared Home Minister Shah.

“PM Modi is ready for a third term, see his bio-data, his performance of the past 10 years and his vision for the next 25 years for the country. By 2030 India will be 3rd biggest economy, will set up a space station by 2035, and land an Indian on the Moon by 2040, plus host the Olympics in 2036. PM Modi hanged the 150-year-old British-era laws. He opened the doors of opportunities for the youth in every sector, and India is a ‘bright spot’ in the world.” said Home Minister Shah.

On the other hand, he pointed out how the Congress appeased vote-bank politics and kept Ram-Lalla in a tent for 70 years, but PM Modi came and built the grand temple in Ayodhya, and has created the Kashi-Vishwanath temple corridor.

Attacking Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Shah asked how can he claim the legacy when he is sitting with those who opposed the legendary Balasaheb Thackeray.

Stating that Uddhav Thackeray should be ‘ashamed’ of his allies (Maha Vikas Aghadi) who opposed everything – abrogation of Article 370, renaming of Aurangabad (as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), surgical strike, GST, new Parliament and even boycotted the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya – “and with what face will you go to seek votes?”

Home Minister Shah cited statistics of how under PM Modi, one university is set up in the country every week, daily two new colleges are opening, 33 new startups coming up, 14 kms rail tracks being laid, 50,000 women get cheap gas cylinders, youth get Mudra loans for a better future.

In the past 10 years, PM Modi has given free 5-kgs rations to 80 crore poor families every month, built 12 crore toilets to accord dignity to women, given 12 crore gas cylinders, homes to 4 crore poor, tap water connection to 14 crore homes, 11 crore farmers get Rs 6,000 per annum, Rs 24-lakh crore Mudra loans disbursed and during the Coronavirus Pandemic all the people in the country got free vaccines.

He committed the people of the state to go and vote with their family members, and select the ‘Lotus’ button to give 45-plus to BJP in Maharashtra and 400-plus in the country.

Present at the convention and rally were top leaders including Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, ministers, MPs, MLAs, party leaders and youth activists.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

–IANS

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