JODHPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Congress leader is leading a campaign to unite the nation, the Bharat Jodo Yatra, “wearing a foreign t-shirt”.
The BJP on Friday attacked the Congress on social media claiming that Rahul Gandhi, who has been raising the issue of inflation during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, was himself wearing a T-shirt worth Rs 41,257 and that too of a foreign brand when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading the mission of ‘Make in India’.
Reminding Gandhi of his speech in Parliament where he said that “India is not a nation”, Shah said that lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives for this country, and asked the Congress leader to “study India’s history”.
“Rahul Gandhi has set out with Bharat Jodo Yatra wearing a foreign T-shirt. I am reminded of a speech by Rahul Gandhi and Congressmen in his Parliament. Rahul Baba had said that India is not a nation. Rahul Gandhi, in which book have you read this? This is the nation for which lakhs and lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives. Rahul Gandhi needs to study India’s history,” Shah said while addressing the Booth President Sankalp Mahasammelan in Jodhpur.
The Home Minister further hit out at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over the “highest prices” of fuel in the state and said that his government did not reduce the taxes on petrol and diesel despite the Centre slashing the tax rates on them.
“The Prime Minister reduced the tax on petrol recently, all the BJP-ruled states reduced it too, but Ashok Gehlot did not do it. The most expensive petrol and diesel in the country is sold in Rajasthan today. The most expensive electricity is available in Rajasthan. Who is responsible?” he said.
Shah urged the people to “uproot the Gehlot government” and said that the BJP government will reduce the taxes as well as the price of electricity. “Congress government cannot do development work. It cannot build roads, cannot provide electricity, cannot provide employment. The Gehlot government can only do the vote-bank and appeasement politics,” he added.
Shah also targeted the law and order situation in the state and recalled the brutal murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal who was hacked to death in Udaipur earlier this year. “Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was brutally killed, would you bear it? Would you tolerate the Karauli violence? Would you tolerate the demolishing of the 300-year-old temple in Alwar?” he said.
“The Congress had done the pre-planned riots of Jodhpur, Chittoor, Nohar, Malpura and Jaipur. I want to tell Ashok Gehlot that if you can’t handle, then step down, people of Rajasthan are ready to bring the BJP. The cases against women have increased by 56 per cent. A woman teacher was set ablaze alive in Jaipur. Gau Mata is also not safe here. PM Modi approved 23 medical colleges in Rajasthan,” the Home Minister added, launching a scathing attack on Gehlot.
Shah urged the people to vote the BJP to power in the 2023 Assembly elections which would pave the way to the party’s victory on all the seats in the state in the 2024 general elections in the state.
“We have to win all the seats in Rajasthan in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The 2023 elections come before the 2024 polls. If the government is not formed in 2023, then winning all the seats won’t happen. If you have to make us win all the seats in 2024, then you have to form the BJP government in 2023 with two-thirds majority,” said Shah.
Earlier today, Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for border tourism development work at Tanot temple complex adjacent to India-Pakistan international border, which lies around 120 km from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
The Home Minister laid the foundation stone of the project as part of his two-day visit to Rajasthan. He reached Jaisalmer on Friday evening. (ANI)