RANCHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigning in Jharkhand, pledged to make the state the nation’s top-performing region if the BJP comes to power.
Shah assured the crowd that his government would remove every Bangladeshi intruder from Jharkhand while criticising the Congress Party for allegedly attempting to award reservation rights to Muslims at the expense of the Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
"Congress wants to give 10% reservation to Muslims by snatching it from the ST, SC, and OBCs, but as long as Modi's government is in power, that will never happen," Shah stated.
He also issued a challenge to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, affirming that Gandhi and even "his fourth generation" would be unable to reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Recently, the Congress party passed a resolution in the Assembly to reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. I want to make it clear to the people of Hazaribagh—and Rahul Baba should listen carefully—that neither he nor his fourth generation will ever reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir," Shah said.
Shah further accused the Congress of appeasement policies, claiming that during its tenure at the centre, the country was plagued by terrorism. However, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office, he argued, the government has maintained security and stability through decisive actions like surgical strikes.
According to Shah, PM Modi has made the country both "safe and prosperous". He alleged that the Jharkhand government under Hemant Soren failed to deliver on its promise of an unemployment allowance, vowing that a BJP government would provide Rs 2,000 monthly as an unemployment allowance to youths and create 100,000 new job opportunities in Jharkhand.
Shah also addressed concerns about corruption, specifically promising to imprison those responsible for the recent paper leak scandal, which had impacted deserving candidates.
On the subject of reservation, Shah was adamant, stating, “Muslims will not get reservation as long as we are here. BJP, under PM Modi’s leadership, will never allow religion-based reservation."
He went on to assure that the rights of Dalits and other backward classes would remain untouched, as “the Supreme Court has capped reservation at 50%, yet the Congress insists on adding 10% for Muslims by taking it from ST, SC, and OBC categories. As long as the Modi government is in power, Congress cannot touch these reservations,” he said.
Shah also lauded PM Modi’s contributions to backward communities, mentioning that Modi gave a 27% reservation to backward classes in central exams and job sectors. He highlighted the creation of the Backward Classes Commission and Modi's efforts to secure constitutional status for it.
In a final appeal, Shah urged the people of Hazaribagh to support the BJP if they wanted uninterrupted Ram Navami processions.
Referring to recent communal tensions and restrictions on Ram Navami processions under the JMM-Congress coalition, Shah declared, “If a BJP government is formed in the state, I will personally attend the first Ram Navami procession in Hazaribagh to ensure that no one dares to stop Hindus from celebrating.” He concluded with a roadshow in Jamshedpur, passing through the Jamshedpur East and West constituencies.