Shah lashes out at the ‘dynasts of INDIA’ at Sambhajinagar rally
Accusing leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance of caring only about the political ambitions of their kin, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that those who worked only for the welfare of their sons, daughters and nephews were incapable of working for the welfare of the country.
Addressing a massive rally in Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), Mr. Shah said that leaders in the INDIA bloc of parties did not “practise the politics of principles but of dynasty”. The Sambhajinagar Lok Sabha seat is currently held by Imtiaz Jaleel of the AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi.
“There are two camps ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. One, the NDA alliance under PM Modi’s leadership; the other, an arrogant INDIA alliance under Rahul Gandhi which is a coalition of dynastic parties. Sonia Gandhi’s aim is to make Rahul Gandhi the next PM. Sharad Pawar’s aim is to make his daughter [Supriya Sule] the next CM of Maharashtra. Uddhav Thackeray’s aim is to see his son [Aaditya] as CM. Mamata Banerjee’s aim is to make his nephew [Abhishek Banerjee] the CM of West Bengal. Those who work for their sons, daughters and nephews cannot think of their country,” said Mr. Shah.
Targeting the AIMIM, Mr. Shah exhorted the audience “to throw out the Majlis from Sambhajinagar” and “gift a lotus to PM Modi” in the upcoming election.
Seat-sharing turmoil
Mr. Shah is on a twoday visit to the State amid seatsharing turmoil within the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ parties (Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, the BJP and Ajit Pawarled NCP). Prior to his rally, he held preelection meetings with local leaders in Akola while attending a youth conclave in Jalgaon. He is also expected to hold meetings with CM Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar to iron out the seatsharing arrangements.
Among those present on the dais on Tuesday were Pankaja Munde, who has had an uneasy relationship with the BJP’s top brass, and exCongressman, former Maharashtra CM and current Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan – an influential leader in the Marathwada region who recently joined the BJP.
“I want to assure Mr. Shah that the BJP and the NDA alliance will garner the maximum Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra,” Mr. Chavan said, adding that he had never criticised the development work being done by PM Modi even when he was in the Congress.