Gujarat assembly election: Union Home Minister Amit Shah‘s onslaught against Congress Continues on Saturday as he said the grand old party never condemned a terror attack due to vote bank politics. His comment came a day after attacking Congress over 2002 riots in Gujarat.
Shah said terror attacks were rampant when Congress was in power and terrorists from Pakistan used to kill Indian soldiers but the then ruling party never condemned them due to "vote bank" politics.
Shah pays tributes to victims of Mumbai terror attack
Paying tributes to the victims of the November 26, 2008 (26/11) Mumbai terror attack, Shah said it is impossible to carry out such an attack under the watch of the Narendra Modi government.
"Today is the anniversary of the 26/11 attack. On this day (in 2008), Pakistani terrorists killed 164 persons in Mumbai. I pay my humble tributes to the departed souls. Though such attacks were rampant during the Congress rule, it is not possible to carry out a 26/11 type terror attack today because Narendra Modi is the prime minister," Shah said while addressing a poll rally in Talaja town in Bhavnagar district for a BJP candidate.
Voting on Talaja and 88 other seats will be held on December 1 in the first phase of the two-phase Gujarat Assembly elections.
Shah slams Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh
"Sonia (Gandhi) and (former PM) Manmohan Singh were in power for ten years from 2004 till 2014.
During their regime, terrorists from Pakistan used to enter India frequently and kill our soldiers and even decapitated their heads. Despite that, Congress never uttered a word. Why? Because of their vote bank. I hope you know who is Congress' vote bank," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
He added PM Modi gave a strong message to the world by carrying out surgical and air strikes on terrorists after Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.
Shah targets Jawaharlal Nehru
The Gandhinagar MP also said the now-scrapped Article 370 (granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir) was the mistake of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
"Didn't you want Article 370 (was supposed) to be removed from Jammu and Kashmir? For 70 years, these Congressmen preserved this Nehru's mistake as if it was a child.
Our PM (Modi) removed it in one go in 2019 and made Kashmir an integral part of India in its true sense," he said.
‘Taught a lesson’ in 2002 thereafter permanent peace in Gujarat: Shah
Earlier, Shah said anti-social elements earlier indulged in violence in Gujarat as the Congress supported them, but after the perpetrators were "taught a lesson" in 2002, they stopped such activities and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established "permanent peace" in the state.
Parts of Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following the train burning incident at Godhra railway station in February that year.
Addressing a rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district in support of BJP candidates ahead of the next month's Assembly elections, Shah alleged, "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."
Shah claimed that Gujarat witnessed riots in 2002 because perpetrators became habitual of indulging in violence due to the prolonged support they received from 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," the Union minister said.
(With PTI input)
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