New Delhi, 18 Feb (PTI): Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday likened the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to the Mahabharata war, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the BJP-led camp working for the country’s development while “INDIA alliance” under the Congress is full of family-run parties and corruption.
In his address at the BJP’s national convention, Mr. Shah lashed out at the Opposition INDIA bloc for its promotion of dynastic and appeasement politics.
He was speaking on the resolution “BJP: Desh ki aasha, vipaksha ki hatasha” (BJP: Country’s hope, Opposition’s despair).
He said the Opposition was full of “2G, 3G and 4G” parties, a reference to the second, third and fourth generation of families running these parties.
He said the Prime Minister had worked for the development of all sections of society and enhanced the country’s global standing. Mr. Shah asserted there was no doubt in people’s mind that the Prime Minister would retain power for a third term.
While Mr. Modi thought of the poor and the country’s development, INDIA bloc leaders thought of making their children Prime Minister and Chief Ministers, he said, referring to Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad and M.K. Stalin among others.
All the family “princes” had come together against Mr. Modi as they thought only someone from a powerful family could occupy the top position, he said amid slogans in support of Mr. Modi at the meeting.
“On the one hand there are family-run parties and on the other is the son of a poor mother,” he said.
The government had worked to lift the living standards of 60 crore poor who earlier felt left out of the development process, he said.
Opposition parties were in denial mode, he said, adding they opposed everything for the sake of it, be it the repeal of Article 370, ban on triple talaq, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the construction of the new Parliament building.
The Congress, he said, turned down the invite for the Ram temple consecration ceremony due to its appeasement politics.
If family-run politics existed in the BJP, then son of a tea seller would not have become the country’s Prime Minister, he asserted.