Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at an election rally in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district, made bold claims about the Congress party’s intentions, questioning whether the country should “function on the basis of Sharia.” Shah’s comments targeted Congress’s alleged stance on minorities, suggesting the party might reintroduce triple talaq if it gained power.
The remarks came as Shah campaigned in Bemetara, part of the Durg Lok Sabha constituency, where elections are scheduled for May 7. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Vijay Baghel from the constituency. Shah, addressing the crowd, asserted that Congress’s plan to create separate laws for minorities indicated its desire to reintroduce Sharia law.
“..They (Congress) have said they will make a separate law for minorities. Tell me, should the country function on the basis of Sharia? Should triple talaq be reintroduced? Congress has been heading forward with the agenda of the Muslim League,” Shah stated.
Shah further criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that the public would not support his leadership and promising that the BJP would not allow the reintroduction of triple talaq or the reversal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and Article 370. The latter references the BJP’s landmark decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s achievements, Shah claimed that Modi’s leadership had significantly reduced terrorism and improved national security. He called for a third term for Modi, promising that Naxalism would be eliminated from Chhattisgarh within two years if the BJP returned to power.
“Congress party, for its political gains, flourished Maoism. As soon as Modi ji became the PM, Maoism was eliminated from the country…. As soon as the BJP government was formed in the last four months (in Chhattisgarh), around 90 Maoists were killed and 123 Maoists were arrested. Give us two more years, and make Modi ji PM for the third time. We will eliminate Maoism from Chhattisgarh,” Shah said.
Shah also accused Congress of being anti-Other Backward Classes (OBC) and reiterated Modi’s commitment to protecting reservations for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backward Classes. His speech emphasized the BJP’s stance on preserving these guarantees and suggested that Congress’s policies would undermine them.
These statements reflect the BJP’s focus on issues of national security, religious identity, and social justice as the party campaigns for the upcoming elections. Shah’s rhetoric serves to galvanize support among the BJP’s base and draw distinctions between the BJP’s approach and Congress’s perceived policies.
