In a scathing remark directed at the opposition bloc known as I.N.D.I Alliance, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that their sole agenda is to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted the importance of supporting the BJP in the upcoming State elections in 2025, emphasising the need for political stability and effective governance in the state.
Shah went on to refer the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, where the NDA secured a victory. He expressed his discontent with Nitish Kumar’s subsequent decision to break the alliance and join hands with the RJD to form the government. According to Shah, this move set Bihar back to the days of ‘Jungle Raj,’ referencing a period of lawlessness and instability in the state’s history.
Further accusing the JDU and RJD of opposing the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Shah added, “In the recent G20 summit that we hosted under our presidency of the grouping, every country accepted the ‘Delhi Declaration’ and spoke highly of PM Modi. However, the JDU and RJD have always stood against critical decisions that we took in national interest. Under the leadership of PM Modi, we placed a spacecraft on the uncharted south face of the moon. He also showed the political courage and will to get the women’s quota Bill passed in Parliament.”
Hitting out at I.N.D.I Alliance partners, Shah alleged they only left a legacy of corruption in the states they ruled or are ruling currently. He alleged that the INDIA partners were involved in corruption worth a combined Rs 12 lakh crore.
“They (I.N.D.I Alliance) have only one agenda, which is to oppose PM Modi. When they were in power, they indulged in corruption amounting to a combined Rs 12 lakh crore. Nitish-ji joined hands with charge-sheeted leaders (RJD chief Lalu Yadav and deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav) to become chief minister. Nitish-ji dreams of becoming the PM but the INDI-alliance has not even given him the role of a coordinator,” Shah added.
On the inaugural caste census conducted by the Bihar government, the BJP leader accused the ruling alliance of insulting people belonging to the Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) and manipulating their population data in the state.
“For us, ‘JAM’ stands for Jan Dhan account, Aadhaar and Mobile. For the Bihar government, JAM means ‘Jativad’ and ‘Parivarvad’, ‘Apradh’, and Minority appeasement. The alliance partners call themselves the well-wishers of backward classes. However, the decision to conduct a caste census in the state was taken when the BJP-JDU alliance was in power here. The Congress has always stood in opposition to the backward classes. In contrast, PM Modi has always respected the backward sections and has been working for their welfare,” Shah added.
He noted that the Union cabinet, led by PM Modi, has as many as 27 ministers from the OBC.
He added that PM Modi has given constitutional recognition to the OBC Commission. “PM Modi has provided a 27 per cent reservation for backward class students in Kendriya Vidyalaya and Sainik Schools. At IITs, the fees for EBC students were waived under the leadership of PM Modi. For NEET exam, he provided reservations for OBC and EBC aspirants. In petrol pump and gas agencies, a 27 per cent quota has been provided to EBC people. Through DBT (direct bank transfer), PM Modi has provided fees for pre-matric and post-matric students,” he said.
The I.N.D.I Alliance has engaged in appeasement politics but will never announce a CM candidate from among EBCs and OBCs, he added. “The union government has left no stone unturned for the development of Bihar. During the Sonia-Manmohan government, when Lalu Yadav was the CM, Bihar was given Rs 1,50,000 crore in ten years. However, PM Modi, over the last 9 years, gave Rs 6 lakh crore for the development of the state,” Shah added.
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