Cong concerned about vote banks, not country: Shah
The BJP chief said that previous Cong governments functioned on the principle of ‘three Ds — darbaris, damad and dalals’
GURUGRAM: Launching an attack on the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union home minister, Amit Shah, on Wednesday said that previous Congress governments functioned on the principle of “three Ds — darbaris (courtiers), damad (son-in-law) and dalals (brokers)”. The reference was a veiled attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, whose name sprung up in land deals under the tenure of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Lambasting previous Congress governments for compromising on country’s safety, Shah said that the Congress party was concerned about vote banks and not the security of the country.
Comparing the Narendra Modi government with the past Congress governments, Shah said that the two parties had different agendas. “Congress governments used to revolve around darbaris (courtiers), damads (son-in-laws) sitting in Delhi and dealers. The BJP government instead works on another set of three Ds — development, development, and only development,” said Shah, during his address as part of the ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally at the Huda ground in Sector 47. Late to the rally by two hours, he apologised for the delay and greeted the audience with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Calling Gurugram the heart of ‘Shauryabhoomi’ Haryana, he said that the people of the state had played a crucial role in selecting a prime minister with a “56-inch chest”. Heaping praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abrogating Article 370, Shah said that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has been uprooted.
“The Article 370 was the reason for terrorism in the country and served as an obstacle in the development of Kashmir. Corruption used to thrive under the rule of three families in the state, due to the provision of Article 370. By doing away with it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has uprooted Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” said Shah.
In August, the Centre had revoked Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and abrogated Article 35A, which granted the state legislature the right to determine criteria of residency in the state. The state was divided into two Union territories, including Ladakh.
Throwing an open challenge to Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rahul Gandhi, Shah dared them to declare that they would “bring back Article 370 and 35A”.
Referring to former PM Manmohan Singh, he said that people from Pakistan would enter the country and spread terror during his tenure while he remained a mute spectator.
Repeating his remarks on NRC, Shah said that the government would implement NRC across the country. “We say we want infiltrators to leave the country. They (opposition) ask ‘where will infiltrators go? What will infiltrators eat or drink? Where will they live?’ We want to ask them if they are related to infiltrators?” said Shah.
He said that regardless of any opposition, he would ensure that each and every infiltrator is ousted from the country. “Let Rahul baba object, let Hooda ji object; I have come here to promise you that before 2024, every single infiltrator will be ousted from the country.”
Shah concluded his speech by asking the audience to vote for BJP candidates in the fray in Gurugram and Badshahpur. “You need to press the Lotus button so hard that the current is felt in Italy,” said Shah, in a reference to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s Italian roots.
Congress leader Ajay Yadav condemned Shah’s remarks about the party. “He should first take a look at his own background. He had criminal cases slapped against him and even served jail. I strongly condemn his remarks,” said Yadav.
› Corruption used to thrive under the rule of three families in the state, due to the provision of Article 370. By doing away with it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has uprooted Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
AMIT SHAH, Union home minister