HYDERABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Narendra Modi will continue to be prime minister till 2029 and said there is no confusion in the party in this regard. The BJP leader was responding to remarks made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that Modi himself had fixed 75 years as upper age limit to remain prime minister.
Speaking at a press conference here, he said, “I want to tell Arvind Kejriwal and company and INDI alliance partners that you have nothing to be happy about Modiji turning 75 and there is no such provision in the BJP’s constitution. Narendra Modi will complete his tenure and he will continue to lead the country in the future. There is no confusion in the BJP about it,” Amit Shah said. He alleged that the leaders of the opposition alliance know that the NDA will cross the 400-mark and yet they are spreading “misconceptions”.
Responding to the allegations of the Congress that the BJP will remove SC, ST and OBC reservations, Shah said that they have no such agenda. He said that they have had full majority in Parliament in the last two terms, and they never initiated any steps as alleged by the Congress. He said that the BJP’s priorities were construction of Ram mandir, abrogation of Article 370, mahila reservations, and continuing SC, ST and OBC reservations.
He also clarified that his party is not against reservations for Muslims, but against the idea of quota on the basis of religion. He, however, reiterated that the BJP will remove four per cent reservations for Muslims after coming to power in Telangana.
Exuding confidence of winning more than 10 segments in Telangana, Shah said that they will win a majority of seats in southern states. Accusing the BRS and the Congress of corruption, appeasement and dynasty politics, Shah alleged that the ruling Congress failed to implement six guarantees.
Responding to the recent comments of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, Shah asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India. In a video that has gone viral, Aiyar is seen stating that the neighbouring country should be given respect as it possesses an atom bomb, adding that if a mad person came to power in Pakistan, they could use the bomb and harm India.
Addressing public meetings at Chevella and Nagarkurnool, Shah said, “Mani Shankar Aiyar says Pakistan has an atom bomb, so do not talk about PoK. Farooq Abdullah of the INDIA bloc says that Pakistan has an atom bomb, so respect them. I want to ask if they have an atom bomb, will you give PoK to them? As long as the BJP is in power, PoK belongs to India and we will take it. It is our right.”
The home minister also criticised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “nobody knows if a surgical strike actually took place or not” following the Pulwama attack in 2019.
Shah emphasised that “terrorists” were killed on Pakistan soil during an operation by Indian armed forces. “Why is he doubting the surgical strike and mocking it? After the attack on the country, Modi ordered surgical and air strikes on Pakistani soil. UPA government failed to do it. Now you are mocking us...,” the senior BJP leader said.
Alleging that the INDIA bloc is doing politics of appeasement, Shah alleged that the Congress, BRS and AIMIM are of the same kind. “They all are the masters of corruption,” he said and alleged design flaw in the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. “It is a contractor-centric design instead of farmers. Just like the Kaleshwaram project, it is also a source of corruption.”
Reiterating his claims, the Union minister added that if the saffron party wins even 10 seats in the state, the 4% reservations for Muslims will be scrapped. “We will not remove the SC, ST and OBC reservation. Instead, the quotas given to the Muslims will be distributed among them,” Shah said, adding, “Reservation will be given to the Madiga (SC) community without doing injustice to the Mala community.”
The BJP leader reiterated Modi’s allegation that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Revanth introduced the ‘RR’ tax. “They are turning small villages into municipalities without any infrastructure. Telangana’s funds are being transferred to Delhi’s treasury,” Shah said.