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Shah dismisses Opposition meet as photo session, says Modi will become PM again
Union home minister Amit Shah slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in Patna for the Opposition parties meeting, saying he is opposed to everything.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday dismissed the meeting of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties in Patna for unity ahead of the 2024 national polls as a “photo session” and said Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for a third time despite their best efforts. He said the BJP will get over 300 of 543 seats in Lok Sabha while laughing off attempts for unity to defeat BJP.
“Today, a photo session is going on in Patna...leaders of the Opposition [parties] have assembled. They want to convey the message that they would challenge the BJP, NDA [National Democratic Alliance], and Modi. ...despite their attempts, unity among them is not possible. And even if they forge unity and go to the people, Modi with over 300 seats will again become the Prime Minister,” he said at a rally in Jammu.
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The rally coincided with the gathering of around half-a-dozen chief ministers and leaders of 18 parties in Patna for unity efforts ahead of the 2024 polls.
Shah said Modi has been in the United States for three days and Washington has given him the state guest honour. “This has never happened and would never happen again. So many agreements are taking place in the fields of space, defence, and semiconductors. Many companies are keen to invest in India. From the 11th largest economy in the world a decade ago to the fifth in nine years is all due to Modi’s efforts.”
Shah slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in Patna for the Opposition parties meeting, saying he is opposed to everything. “...be it [nullification of Constitution’s] Article 370 [that stripped Jammu & Kashmir of semi-autonomous status in 2019], Ram Temple [in Ayodhya], [criminalisation of] triple talaq [for instant divorce among a section of Muslims]...By doing so, he [Gandhi] has developed a tendency to oppose everything,” said Shah.
Shah paid tributes to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of BJP’s precursor Bharatiya Jana Sangh who led a campaign against Article 370 and died under detention in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in 1953.
He said Mookerjee resigned as Union minister when Article 370 was introduced and rushed to J&K to protest and was arrested and “murdered”. “Today is his martyrdom day, and his soul will be in peace because, on August 5, 2019, Modi revoked Article 370,” said Shah.
Shah listed the achievements of the BJP-led government over the last nine years drawing parallels with that of the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration.
Also read: We are going to defeat BJP together: Rahul Gandhi ahead of Opposition meeting
“On one hand, there were scams of ₹12 lakh crore during the UPA rule...not a single allegation of corruption against the Modi government over nine years. Modi initiated a campaign against corruption. He ensured facilities for 600 million poor for which they waited for 70 years.”
Shah slammed the Abdullah, Mufti, and Gandhi families for J&K’s problems. “Under Modi, a new J&K has emerged. The same J&K was ruled by three families and Article 370 hindered development... 42,000 people were killed in terrorism...they said Article 370 should be kept intact,” he said. “I want to ask Abdullahs and Muftis who is responsible for the killings. Under Modi, terrorism has now been contained.”
He said former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is among those attending the Patna meeting, says terrorism has not been contained every time a terror incident takes place. “I want to tell Mufti and the Abdullahs that in 10 years of UPA rule, 7327 terror incidents took place compared to 2350 over nine years of the BJP rule...down by 70%.”
He added 2056 people were killed when UPA was in power. “...only 377 have been killed in nine years of the BJP, which also is not acceptable to us. Following the revocation of Article 370, there were only 32 bandh calls in 47 months ...incidents of stone-throwing are down by 90%. These figures tell that the situation has improved.”
Shah said a record 18.8 million tourists visited J&K last year. “... ₹28,400 crore industrial package, G20 summit in Kashmir, nine new medical colleges, 15 nursing colleges, the addition of 600 more medical seats, IIT [Indian Institute of Technology] and IIM [Indian Institute of Management]...speaks about BJP government’s resolve to put J&K on the path of progress.”
