- Fanning communal flames and polarising states for electoral gains have been the BJP’s modus operandi for decades now: Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed.
- All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten his hand, says TMC’s Mahua Moitra
- ‘Kejriwal is political freelancer, Gujarat will reject AAP,’ says Ravi Shankar Prasad
NE NEWS SERVICE
KHEDA, GANDHINAGAR, NOV 25
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, claimed that anti-social elements used to indulge in violence in Gujarat as the Congress supported them, but the BJP “taught them a lesson” in 2002 and established “permanent peace” in the state. His remarks drew sharp reactions from the Congress and the TMC.
Some more pictures from the roadshow in Nandod.
નાંદોદ ખાતેના રોડ શોની કેટલીક વધુ તસવીરો.#ગુજરાતમાં_ભાજપની_લહેર pic.twitter.com/rbMcEivx60
— Amit Shah (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AmitShah) November 25, 2022
Parts of Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following the Godhra train burning incident in February of that year.
Special Moments from Dahod, where 103-year-old Suman Bhai came to bless PM @narendramodi . pic.twitter.com/oI3ZqcTxwv
— Vanathi Srinivasan ( Modi Ka Parivar) (@VanathiBJP) November 25, 2022
The home minister, who was addressing a rally in Kheda district of Gujarat in support of the BJP candidates ahead of the next month’s assembly elections, said, “During the Congress rule in Gujarat (before 1995), communal riots were rampant. Congress used to incite people of different communities and castes to fight against each other. Through such riots, Congress had strengthened its vote bank and did injustice to a large section of the society.”
ખેડાના મહુધા વિધાનસભાની ઉત્સાહી જનતા સાથે…
https://t.co/YqMPODPLWg— Amit Shah (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AmitShah) November 25, 2022
He claimed that Gujarat witnessed riots in 2002 because perpetrators became habitual of indulging in violence due to the prolonged support they received from the Congress. “But after they were taught a lesson in 2002, these elements left that path (of violence). They refrained from indulging in violence from 2002 till 2022. BJP has established permanent peace in Gujarat by taking strict action against those who used to indulge in communal violence.”
LIVE: કતારગામ વિધાનસભા ખાતે કેન્દ્રીય મંત્રી શ્રી @PRupala જીની ભવ્ય જાહેરસભા #ગુજરાતમાં_ભાજપની_લહેર https://t.co/liQ2CzmC6o
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 25, 2022
Reacting sharply to Shah’s claims, Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed said fanning communal flames and polarising states for electoral gains have been the BJP’s modus operandi for decades now.
"ગુજરાતના ખૂણેખૂણે ઊઠી ભાજપની લહેર"
જૂનાગઢના કેશોદમાં માનનીય મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી @Bhupendrapbjp ની ઉપસ્થિતમાં વિરાટ જનમેદની સાથે ભવ્ય રોડ-શૉ યોજાયો. આ રોડ-શૉમાં જનતા જનાર્દનનો ઉત્સાહ જોતા જ ભાજપનો પ્રચંડ વિજય સ્પષ્ટ દેખાય છે.#ગુજરાતમાં_ભાજપની_લહેર pic.twitter.com/UwvO3g0Y97
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 25, 2022
“Home Minister @AmitShah terms the BJP govt’s reaction to the 2002 riots as ‘teaching a lesson’. Fanning communal flames & then polarising states for electoral gains has been BJP’s modus operandi for decades now. This is Modi-Shah’s real Gujarat model,” she said in a tweet.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra quoted William Shakespeare to criticize the home minister over his remarks. “They Were Taught Lesson In 2002, Permanent Peace In Gujarat”: Amit Shah This is the Home Minister of India. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten his not-so- little hand,” she tweeted.
ગામડાંથી શહેર સુધી #ગુજરાતમાં_ભાજપની_લહેર છે.
મા અંબાની પાવનભૂમિ પર પ્રદેશ અધ્યક્ષ શ્રી @CRPaatil ની અધ્યક્ષતામાં દિયોદરના કોટડા મુકામે વિજય વિશ્વાસ સંમેલન યોજાયું.
આ સંમેલનમાં પધારેલા ખેડૂતો અને ગ્રામજનોએ ભાજપને જંગી બહુમતીથી જિતાડવાનું નક્કી કરી લીધું છે. pic.twitter.com/C8hR4tZFSf
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 25, 2022
Kejriwal is political freelancer, Gujarat will reject AAP: Prasad
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said the Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was a “political freelancer”.
LIVE: ગુજરાત વિધાનસભાની આગામી ચૂંટણી અંતર્ગત પૂર્વ કેન્દ્રીય મંત્રી શ્રી @rsprasad જીની પત્રકાર પરિષદ | સ્થળ: પ્રદેશ મીડિયા સેન્ટર, અમદાવાદ https://t.co/9FN4zJOUIa
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 25, 2022
Speaking at a press conference at the BJP’s media centre here, Prasad said AAP would be rejected by the people of Gujarat where two-phase Assembly polls are scheduled for December 1 and 5. He also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments against freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.
“Kejriwal went to Himachal Pradesh during elections. He also went to Uttarakhand and Goa during elections, but AAP eventually lost (in those states). Now, he is in Gujarat,” Prasad said.
“Gujarat has always seen two-party election contests between the Congress and BJP. While BJP wins, Congress loses. The third front has always failed in Gujarat. Since Kejriwal has come to Gujarat now, I want to call him a political freelancer,” he said.
The former Union minister also attacked AAP for `violence’ in Punjab, where the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power.
“Punjab chose AAP. But today the state is suffering from instability, separatism and terrorism within just a few months (of AAP coming to power). People are killed openly. Because the separatist elements which were contained in the past are now fearless as they know the people in power will not say anything,” he claimed.
Prasad also claimed the Congress had ignored and insulted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
“The Congress claims Sardar Patel belonged to their party. If that is true, then why was he conferred the Bharat Ratna 41 years after his death? I want to tell Rahul Gandhi, since he has embarked on Bharat Jodo Yatra, the country would have united if he had chosen to connect himself with the legacy of these great freedom fighters,” Prasad said.
Prasad went on to say Gandhi was avoiding Gujarat as he knows the Congress will lose. “The Congress is not in power because the party has always insulted great leaders of Gujarat, be it Patel, Morarji Desai or Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the former Union minister added.
