Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks in the UK, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that it's not democracy that is in danger, but "your family" and the idea of dynasty politics that is under threat.
At two public meetings in Uttar Pradesh during the day, he also slammed the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. In Azamgarh, which has a sizeable Muslim population, he said under the previous state governments, 24-hour power supply was available “only during Ramzan”. "Now the BJP government has ensured power to entire Uttar Pradesh and heralded a new period of development," he added.
Shah inaugurated the Kaushambi Mahotsav and honoured several players of the 'Sansad Khel Spardha'. Later, he laid the foundation stone for the Harihar music college in Azamgarh.
He said Azamgarh was earlier known as the “centre of terrorism”, a reference to some of the accused in terror cases like the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts hailing from the district.
But now its identity has changed to a hub of development, Shah said.
"I was the home minister of Gujarat when there were bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. The police had caught the main 'sutradhaar' (culprit) of it from Azamgarh," he said.
"I want to congratulate Yogi ji (CM Yogi Adityanath). In Azamgarh, which was considered the centre of terror across the country, he got the foundation of a music college laid to give respect to its heritage," Shah said.
In Kaushambi, Shah hit out at Gandhi for claiming in the UK that democracy is under threat, accusing his party of surrounding the Indian democracy with three "naasuron" (ulcerous wounds) — casteism, dynasty politics and appeasement. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi defeated all three and hence "you are afraid," he added.
"They say democracy is in danger. Brother, democracy is not in danger, your family is in danger. It is not the idea of India which is in danger, it is the idea of dynasty, your politics of 'parivarvad' (dynasty), which are in danger. It is not the democracy of India, but the autocracy of your family, which is in danger," the senior BJP leader said.
The BJP has accused Gandhi of "insulting" the country on foreign soil and demanded an apology, but the Congress leader has said his position that India's democracy was under attack "was known" to all.
Shah also accused the Congress party of not allowing Parliament to function.
"Yesterday, the Parliament was adjourned. In the history of independent India, it has never happened that the Budget Session ended without a sitting and discussion... What was the reason? Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP," the Union minister said.
On March 18, a Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case over his Modi surname remark. A day later, the Lok Sabha Secretariat suspended his Lok Sabha membership.
Congress accused the BJP of indulging in "vindictive politics" but the ruling party said it was the law.
On Friday, addressing the gathering in Kaushambi, Shah asked, "Who brought the law?"
He also said Gandhi was not the only leader whose membership has "gone" after sentencing by a court. "So far, the membership of 17 MLAs-MPs has gone, including that of Rahul Gandhi."
Recalling his earlier visits to UP, before the BJP government came to power in the state, Shah said in Azamgarh there was hardly a night when power was available in rural areas. He also said it was difficult to imagine UP being "riot-free" but the Adityanath government has made it possible.
Slamming SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who contested and won from Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat in the previous election, Shah asked the people whether he "was he seen" during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Had he come here to give vaccination doses? The prime minister got the entire country vaccinated, provided foodgrains to the poor," the Union minister said.
-With PTI Input
