Sirsa (Haryana), 18 Jun: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday targeted the Congress over corruption, alleging scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore had taken place under the party-led UPA government at the Centre.
Whereas, the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is functioning in a transparent manner and even its opponents cannot point a finger of corruption at it, Shah said addressing a rally in Sirsa in Haryana.
Targeting the erstwhile Congress dispensation in Haryana led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the senior BJP leader said, “It was a 3D government of darbaris (courtiers), daamad (son-in-law)…you know to who I am referring to…and dealers. Manohar Lal (Khattar) has ended all these three Ds.” He was apparently referring to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Shah listed various achievements of the Narendra Modi government and said it was strong and decisive.
India’s prestige rose globally under the Modi dispensation. “Be it any issue, the entire world waits to see what India has to say on that,” he said.
The Modi government took decisions such as scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, despite stiff opposition from several parties, including the Congress, he said.
Shah appealed to the people of Haryana to give their blessings to the BJP in 2024 like they did in the previous Lok Sabha polls and once again give all 10 parliamentary seats in the state in “Modi ji’s kitty to make the country No. 1 in the world and to make Modi ji prime minister once again”.
Notably, BJP has an alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in Haryana, but both parties have been non-committal on whether they would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha as well as Assembly polls together.
Shah was addressing “Gauravshali Bharat” rally organised here as part of the BJP’s outreach campaign to mark the completion of nine years of the Narendra Modi government.
Before addressing the rally, Shah paid obeisance at the historic Gurdwara Chilla Sahib here.
After the rally ended, Shah, along with Chief Minister M L Khattar and other leaders, went to the residence of Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, who is an Independent MLA, and had tea there.
Earlier in the day, Shah addressed a rally in Gurdaspur in neighbouring Punjab as part of the BJP’s outreach initiative.
Targeting the previous UPA government at the Centre, Shah said at the Sirsa rally that nine years ago terrorists used to come from Pakistan and behead our soldiers, “but Manmohan and Sonia sarkar used to remain mum”.
Under the Narendra Modi government, India gave a befitting reply to terrorist attacks in Uri and Pulwama, he said, adding, “In nine years, Modi made the country secure”.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule lasted for 10 years and the country’s law and order and security were in tatters, he said.
Manmohan Singh was the prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and Sonia Gandhi the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
“Remember the time nine years ago, Congress party (led UPA) had indulged in Rs 12 lakh crore worth of scams and corruption…In these nine years, even our opponents cannot point a finger of corruption at Modi ji, who has run the government in a transparent manner,” Shah told the gathering.
In its nine years, the Modi dispensation gave a new hope to the poor of this country, he said, while touching upon several initiatives for them.
He said that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress did not leave politics behind. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used to warn people against taking the COVID-19 vaccine, terming it “Modi vaccine”, but no one listened to him and he too later got vaccinated himself secretly, Shah said.
“Congress indulged in corruption, failed to keep the country secure…even during Covid pandemic, Rahul Baba and Company did not stop doing politics,” he said.
He also attacked the Congress over Article 370.
“Is Kashmir ours or not, tell me Sirsawalo? Should Article 370 have been scrapped or not?… When you gave 10 seats to Modi ji, he scrapped it at one stroke,” he said.
Shah said Congress people used to oppose it, saying it will lead to bloodshed in Kashmir Valley. Leave alone bloodshed, no one has dared to even pelt a stone, he said.
After Covid, when the entire world was in recession, India was insulated due to policies of the Modi government, he said, adding “this is a big thing for us”.
Haryana is falling prey to the drug menace, Shah noted with concern.
“I want to tell you all that the prime minister is concerned and he has kept a target before the Union Home Ministry to rid the country from the drug menace in a short time and this campaign has started in Haryana,” he said.
Attacking former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Shah said he now talks of farmers’ welfare but when in government he did not start Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana for them and did not do any credible work for crop diversification.
He also took on Hooda, saying earlier the chief minister used to be of Rohtak only and he never thought beyond it, but M L Khattar has undertaken equitable development of different regions the state.
“I want to ask Hooda ji, Hooda Maharaj, give account of what your government did for Haryana when your party ruled both in the state and at the Centre,” he said. (PTI)
He said Haryana is known as the land of sportspersons and every third player is from the state. In its nine years, the Khattar government has started many schemes for players, he said.
He also praised hardworking farmers of Punjab and Haryana.
“Haryana’s dhaakad jawan, dhaakad kisan and dhaakad khiladi are the country’s pride,” he said.
Former deputy prime minister Devi Lal had dreams for farmers which no one fulfilled until Prime Minister Modi did so, Shah said.
These nine years are going to be written in golden letters in the country’s history, he said.
Haryana has become the biggest exporter of Basmati rice in these nine years, first kerosene-free state, first to have educated panchayats, and the first open defecation free (ODF)-plus state, he said.
Haryana has been clocking a growth rate of more than six per cent for the last seven years, he said, adding this is the result of the “double-engine government”, he said.
Fifty per cent of cars manufactured in the country some out of factories in Haryana, he said.
The rally was attended by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and BJP in-charge of Haryana Biplab Kumar Deb, among others. (PTI)