Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday hit out at the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, saying it was an “opportunistic alliance” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), guided by the family politics of each of its participants. Mr. Shah said the Congress, with its dynastic record and lack of direction, was no match for the BJP.
Mr. Shah launched the BJP’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan with a series of events in Bikaner, Udaipur and Jaipur. He addressed the meetings of the BJP’s booth-level workers and the party’s State election committee before wrapping up his day-long visit with an interaction with voters in the State capital.
The senior BJP leader called upon voters to support the BJP in Rajasthan and help it maintain its record of winning all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 and 2019 elections. “At the national level, we have set the target of crossing the 400-mark for the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) with the BJP alone winning at least 370 seats. The victory in Rajasthan will enable us to achieve our target,” he said.
The Home Minister sought to cover three clusters, comprising three Lok Sabha seats each, during his visit to the three regions of the State. In addition to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and senior BJP leaders, former Congress leader Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, who joined the BJP on Monday, was also present at the event in Udaipur.
Mr. Shah praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country’s achievements in the past 10 years and said he had successfully fought against the “four ills” bequeathed from the previous Congress regime at the Centre. “Dynastic politics, appeasement, corruption and casteism are the legacies of the Congress rule. The nation is marching ahead with the Prime Minister having dealt with them,” he said.
“Mr. Modi took our economy from the 11th to fifth position in 10 years. If we get another chance [to rule], the economy will surely jump to the number three spot,” Mr. Shah said. A double-engine government had been formed recently in Rajasthan, which would take care of the welfare of the poor and the development of the State, he said.
Mr. Shah said the BJP had delivered on its election promises, including the abrogation of Article 370 and construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. “The Congress not only kept the Ram temple issue hanging, but it also did not participate in the consecration of Ram Lalla. The Congress boycotted the January 22 ceremony when the entire nation was feeling the spiritual vibes from Ayodhya,” he said.
The Home Minister also accused the Congress of trying to divide the country on regional lines. The BJP, on the other hand, had strengthened national security through surgical strikes and uplifted 25 crore people out of poverty in the last 10 years by giving them houses, toilets, free medicines and financial support to farmers, Mr. Shah said.
