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In Lucknow, Shah targets SP, BSP with focus on OBC voters
The senior BJP leader made these remarks while addressing a function to mark the birth anniversary of late Kurmi leader Sonelal Patel
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh has got completely rid of the “divisive forces” of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) joined hands, as he made a strong pitch for consolidation of backward caste voters in the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The senior BJP leader made these remarks while addressing a function in Lucknow to mark the birth anniversary of late Kurmi (backward caste) leader Sonelal Patel, the father of Union minister Anupriya Patel.
Shah spoke about the success of the BJP and Apan Dal (S) alliance, stating that it has won four elections in the state since 2014. “As a result, UP has got completely rid of vighatankaari shaktiyon [divisive forces] of SP and BSP,” Shah said.
In UP, the BJP and Apna Dal (S) have contested four elections together - two Lok Sabha polls (2014 and 2019) and two assembly elections (2017 and 2022) - and have unitedly won them, he said.
The Union home minister said a number of measures have been taken under the last nine years of the Modi government to bring a change in the lives of the poor, especially the backward community.
“After Independence, it was the first council of ministers of the BJP and NDA, in which 27 ministers were from the backward community. The maximum number of MPs from the OBC, SC and ST elected in any alliance was in the NDA [National Democratic Alliance],” he said.
Hitting out at the Congress as well as the BSP and SP that backed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Shah said, “The Congress, SP and BSP were either in power or partners in power, but they never worked to give constitutional status to the backward class commission,” the senior BJP leader said.
Talking about the steps taken by the NDA government for the benefit of OBCs, Shah said, “The 27% quota in MBBS admission, OBC students’ tuition fee waiver, reservation in NEET, 27% reservation in petrol and gas agencies, disbursing scholarships of OBC students directly into their accounts, besides setting up a venture capital to fund to help OBC entrepreneurs are some of the many initiatives reflecting the proof of Modi government’s honest,” he said.
Emphasising that the BJP will contest the parliamentary elections in alliance with AP(S) and NISHAD Party, Shah said, “You are cadres of Apna Dal (S) … now, ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, I am here to ask you if you want to make Modi ji PM again... you again want to form a 300-plus NDA government at the centre?” Shah said in the presence of Union minister Ramdas Athavale.
Reacting to Shah’s “divisive forces” comment, SP spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said, “BJP is overconfident... Karnataka like results await as the BJP will face a rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well.”
Asking the senior BJP leader to “reflect” on his words, Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, “Amit Shah ji is not just a BJP leader but also the country’s home minister... he owns a post of great responsibility. He should choose his words wisely... calling the opposition parties divisive certainly reflects poor word selection... He must reflect.”
HT reached out to BSP for a comment, but could not get one immediately.
