BJP using communal card to polarise electorate: Mevani

VADGAM: The fear of defeat has forced the BJP to abandon the pretence of development and use the “communal card” to polarise the electorate, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said here on Monday. Mevani is contesting as an Independent candidate from north Gujarat’s Vadgam constituency with support from the Congress.

The BJP, he said, is targeting him on “communal lines” for receiving a cheque of Rs 50,000 from the Social Democratic Party of India. But it should explain the reason behind the reported rise in fortunes of BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, he in an interview.

“If SDPI has links with any terror outfit or jihadi group, then why did Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh or Narendra Modi remain silent all these years? All they have given me is a Rs 50,000 cheque. Should one question this or the 16,000 times rise in Jay Shah’s fortunes?” he asked.

Mevani was referring to allegations that a company owned by BJP chief Amit Shah’s son saw a huge rise in turnover after his party came to power in 2014. The charge was rejected by the BJP and Shah’s son, Jay Amit Shah, who termed the story “false, derogatory and defamatory”.

Mevani, 35, said the BJP is targeting him as it has no agenda in the elections.

“These kind of tricks are not going to work. The people of Gujarat know that Jignesh Mevani is a man of impeccable integrity,” he said.

According to Mevani, the BJP was betraying nervousness by fielding the entire top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, to campaign against him.