Bhongiri (Telangana): Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday said the 2024 Lok Sabha poll is a “Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi election”.
“The 2024 election is a Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi election. It is an election that pits ‘vote for jihad’ against ‘vote for vikas’,” Shah said at a public meeting in Telangana’s Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency, which votes on May 13.
He also framed the ongoing parliamentary election as a contest between Modi’s “Bharatiya guarantee” against Rahul’s “Chinese guarantee”.
Referring to the Congress, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) as a “triangle of appeasement”, he said, “These people don’t allow the celebration of ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ (September 17). These people oppose the CAA. These people want to run Telangana on the basis of Sharia and Quran.”
The Union minister expressed confidence that while the BJP won four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in 2019, this time, it would win 10. “This double-digit score here will help PM Modi cross 400 seats (in Parliament). The Congress is spreading lies, claiming that if PM Modi becomes PM again, he will end reservations. But PM Modi has been leading this country for the last 10 years, and he did not end any reservation. It is the Congress party that has taken away reservations of SCs, STs, and OBCs by giving four per cent to Muslims. If BJP wins, we will increase reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs,” Shah said.
He also said that Modi made efforts to boost the textile industry of Bhongir. The government’s textile policy is aimed at strengthening the system at all levels – from “farm to fibre”, fibre to factory, factory to fashion, and fashion to exports.
Further criticising the Congress, Shah said the party does not fulfil its promises. “PM Modi abides by what he says and promises. The Congress party stopped the construction of Ram Mandir for 70 years. In just five years, PM Modi won the case, performed bhoomi pooja and did the pran prathistha ceremony. PM Modi also abrogated Article 370 so that our flag keeps flying in Kashmir forever,” he said.
