The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the Congress on Monday for not revoking Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, accusing the party of engaging in appeasement politics. Addressing an election rally in Karnal, Haryana, Shah reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and vowed to take it back.
Shah claimed that Congress did not revoke Article 370 despite the rise in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting that this inaction was due to the party’s appeasement of its minority vote bank. “You all made Narendra Modi ji the Prime Minister for the second time, and on August 5, 2019, he scrapped Article 370. And now our tricolour proudly flutters in Kashmir,” Shah stated.
He criticized Congress leaders for not attending the Ram temple consecration ceremony, claiming they avoided it to please the party’s minority supporters. Shah emphasized that significant developments regarding the Ram Temple, including the land’s ‘bhoomi pujan’ and the Supreme Court’s favorable verdict, occurred during Modi’s second term.
Shah also targeted Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his controversial remarks about Pakistan and its possession of the atomic bomb, asserting that such statements showed a lack of respect for India’s sovereignty.
In his speech, Shah asked the crowd whether Kashmir belongs to India, urging them to loudly affirm so that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge could hear. Shah mocked Kharge’s recent comments questioning Modi’s focus on Article 370 during a rally in Rajasthan, reiterating that PoK will be reclaimed by India.
Addressing the opposition, Shah asked who the prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc was, suggesting that their lack of a clear leader demonstrated their inability to govern. He criticized the bloc’s suggestion of having multiple prime ministers on a rotational basis, arguing that India needs a strong leader like Modi to handle national security and economic challenges.
Shah praised Modi for making India prosperous and elevating the nation’s economy from the 11th to the fifth spot globally. He predicted that under Modi’s third term, India would become the world’s third-largest economy.
He contrasted the Modi government’s initiatives for the farming sector with those of the previous Congress regime, highlighting the significant increase in the agriculture budget from Rs 22,000 crore to Rs 1.25 lakh crore under BJP rule. Shah also mentioned the record-breaking procurement of paddy from 1.22 crore farmers, compared to 76 lakh farmers previously.
The home minister also highlighted various developmental projects undertaken in Haryana during the previous Khattar regime.