Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, challenging him to praise Veer Savarkar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
“Aghadi is an army of liars. Rahul Baba, please praise your friend Uddhav Thackeray‘s father, the great Balasaheb Thackeray, for two minutes. Uddhav ji, if you have the courage, get Rahul Baba to speak two good words about Veer Savarkar and Balasaheb,” Shah said while addressing a rally in Hingoli.
The Union Home Minister said the assembly polls in Maharashtra would determine whether the state follows the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj or the path of Aurangzeb for the next five years.
“The upcoming election will decide whether Maharashtra follows the path of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar or the path of Aurangzeb. Our Mahayuti alliance has chosen the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar without any hesitation, while the Aghadi alliance seems to be an Aurangzeb fan club. Modi ji built the Ram temple and also reconstructed the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which had been demolished by Aurangzeb,” Shah said.
Amit Shah also mocked Rahul Gandhi, likening him to a plane that has repeatedly crashed.
“Sonia ji has tried to land the plane named Rahul Baba 20 times, and 20 times it has crashed. Now, another attempt is being made to land it for the 21st time in Maharashtra. Sonia ji, please note that your Rahul aircraft will crash once again in the Maharashtra assembly elections,” he quipped.
Referring to the recently concluded Haryana elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a third consecutive term, Shah criticised the Congress for its overconfidence in winning Maharashtra.
“In the Haryana elections, Rahul Gandhi claimed victory prematurely. Such arrogance, especially in a democracy, is unacceptable. Ultimately, Congress was wiped out, and the BJP formed the government. In Maharashtra too, the Mahayuti will form the government,” Shah asserted.
Touching upon the Ram temple issue and the Waqf Board controversy, Shah said, “For 70 years, Congress obstructed the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, but Modi ji made it a reality. In Karnataka, the Waqf Board declared villages, temples, farmers’ lands, and people’s houses as Waqf properties. We have introduced a bill to amend the Waqf Act, but Sharad Pawar and his allies are opposing it.”
“You can oppose it as much as you want, but the Modi government will amend the Waqf Act with full force,” he added.
Shah also dismissed Congress’s resolution to reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting it would never happen.
“Rahul Baba’s Congress party has passed a resolution in Kashmir to bring back Article 370. Rahul Baba, listen carefully–neither you nor your fourth generation will be able to bring back Article 370,” Shah said.
Exuding confidence in the NDA’s prospects, Shah said the people of Maharashtra support the alliance.
“I have come to tell the people of Maharashtra that the entire country stands with Modiji. Every sister in Maharashtra is with Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, and every underprivileged citizen supports the NDA. In the coming days, a Mahayuti government will be formed in Maharashtra. This government, led by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, is dedicated to serving the poor,” Shah said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday targeted MVA partners at an election rally here and said Congress and the undivided NCP led by Sharad Pawar had “diverted and kept hanging” the issue of construction of grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
He also targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that the party led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is “the real Shiv Sena.”
“On one side, Uddhavji says that – my Shiv Sena (Shiv Sena – UBT) is the real Shiv Sena. I want to ask him, can the real Shiv Sena ever oppose renaming Aurangabad as Shambhaji Nagar?… Uddhav Babu, your Sena is just Uddhav Sena, and the real Shiv Sena is with the BJP,” Shah said.
Shiv Sena saw a split in 2022 with Eknath Shinde leading a group of leaders and MLAs in revolt against Uddhav Thackeray, which also led to the toppling of Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Shah said the pran prathishta of the Ram Temple was done during the tenure of Modi government.
“Congress and Sharad Pawar’s party kept the issue of Ram Temple in Ayodhya stalled, hanging and diverted for 70 years. In 5 years, Modi Ji not only won the case but performed the Bhoomi Pujan, constructed the temple and also did the Pran Pratishtha,” he added.
The Ram Lalla idol was unveiled at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony after the hour-long rituals in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the ceremony on January 22 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.
Shah also referred to the resolution passed by Jammu and Kashmir assembly for restoration of special status.
“Rahul Baba’s Congress party has passed a resolution in Kashmir to bring back Article 370. Rahul Baba, listen carefully, not only you but even your fourth generation cannot bring back Article 370. Kashmir is an integral part of India, no power in the world can separate Kashmir from India. This is the resolve of BJP and Modi ji,” Shah said.
He sought votes for the BJP candidate.
“You have to push the button of Lotus for Kishan Maruti Wankhede on November 20… but why you have to vote for Lotus? Because there are two camps like Mahabharata – Pandavs and Kauravs. One stands with truth and the other with falsehood,” Shah said.
Shah claimed that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had cautioned Congress chief ministers against making untenable promises.
“Rahul Baba used to say that his government would credit money in the accounts of the people instantly. You were unable to fulfil your promises in Himachal, Karnataka, and Telangana, and hence, Kharge Ji had to caution Congress against making untenable promises. However, Modi ji’s promises are sacrosanct. We have promised that sisters will get Rs 2100 under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. They will get two gas cylinders free of cost,” he said.
Shah also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi.
“Soniaji tried to land the plane named Rahul Baba 20 times, and now she is trying for the 21st time, but this time too, it will crash at the Nagpur airport. Your one vote will strengthen the future of India, prosper the farmers, and give my sisters their rights and respect,” he said.
He also took a swipe at former Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s purported remarks about the situation in Kashmir during his tenure.
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“When Sushil Shinde was the (Union) Home Minister, he was afraid of going to Lal Chowk (Jammu and Kashmir). Shinde sahab, you were afraid at that time, but now I say that you should take your family to Kashmir and roam around in a Shikara, there is no reason to worry now.”
The Home Minister said Modi government has worked to make the country safe and prosperous.
Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.