Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah frames poll as vikas vs jihad; Rahul Gandhi says it’s slipping from PM’s hands

Shah, speaking at a public meeting in Telangana’s Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency, said, “2024 ka jo chunav hai, yeh ‘Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi’ ka chunav hai. Yeh chunav ‘vote for jihad’ ke against ‘vote for vikas’ ka chunav hai. (The 2024 election is a Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi election. It is an election that pits ‘vote for jihad’ against ‘vote for vikas’).”

He also framed the election as a contest between Modi’s “Bharatiya guarantee” and 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”, Shah 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.”

He 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, he said. The Bhongir Lok Sabha seat goes to the polls on May 13.

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.

Meanwhile, Rahul said in a video message that he expects PM Modi to do “some drama” in the next four-five days.

“The elections are slipping away from Narendra Modi’s hands. He is slipping and he won’t become India’s Prime Minister. He has decided to distract you in the next four-five days with some drama. You can’t get distracted. The biggest issue is unemployment. Narendra Modi had said that he will give two crore jobs to youngsters. He lied, enforced demonetisation and GST, and did all the work for people like Adani,” he said.

“We are bringing the Bharti Bharosa scheme. On June 4, the INDIA alliance government will be formed. By August 15, work to give jobs to 30 lakh people will start. Jai Hind,” Rahul said in the video.

On Thursday, he also held a rally in Telangana’s Medak Lok Sabha constituency, where voting will be held on May 13. At the rally, Rahul said the election is a fight between two ideologies.

“On one side are the INDIA alliance, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and your Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and on the other side are those who want to change or destroy the Constitution. We will not allow anyone to tamper with the Constitution, and we’ll sacrifice everything to defend it. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have made policies which benefit 20-25 people. Their policies are to privatise every institution and every company, and this is aimed at removing reservation. Modi and Shah are doing everything to remove reservation. However, we will increase the reservation over 50 per cent,” he said.

He also said the Congress would conduct a country-wide caste census, and that it would “tell us how many socially and economically backward people there are”.

““Modi has given away all ports, airports and other projects to Adani. Our aim is not to make a few people crorepati, our aim is to make crores of poor people lakhpatis. We will conduct a survey of poverty and identify those families. Every woman in that family will receive Rs 1 lakh every year – Rs 8,500 per month,” he said.