New Delhi: Launching a blistering attack on the Congress government in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said it was the central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which built new roads in the state, provided cooking gas cylinders at subsidised rates, constructed toilets and Eklavya schools over the last nine years. Claiming that the Centre also provided 5kg rice per month to every household for free, Shah raged, “What did you do Bhupesh babu, other than opening liquor shops, indulging in scams, including the coal transportation scam worth Rs 540 crores, the Gothan scheme scam worth Rs 1300 crores and the Mahadev app scam. Baghel sharm karo, sharm karo (CM Baghel, have some shame).”
Addressing a rally in Jagdalpur, Amit Shah said, “This time Chhattisgarh will celebrate Diwali thrice. Once on the day of Diwali, second on December 3 when BJP forms government here (election results), and then in January (2024) on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.”
The minister will hold two rallies in the Bastar region. This is his second visit to Chhattisgarh, where election to the 90-member assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17.
Previously, on October 16, the former BJP president and key poll strategist had addressed an election rally in Rajnandgaon.
Amit Shah arrived at the Maa Danteshwari Airport in Jagdalpur from New Delhi earlier in the day. After the Lalbagh Maidan rally in Jagdalpur, Shah will leave for Kondagaon where he will attend another election meeting and a nomination rally at Police Ground.
Both Jagdalpur and Kondagaon fall under the Naxal-affected Bastar division of Chhattisgarh.
According to a BJP leader, the union minister’s visit comes as a strategic boost to the party's efforts in the Congress-ruled state.
In the first phase, polling will be held in 20 assembly seats - Konta, Bijapur, Dantewada, Chitrakot, Jagdalpur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Keshkal, Kanker, Bhanupratappur, Antagarh, Mohla-Manpur, Khujji, Dongargaon, Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, Khairagarh, Kawardha and Pandariya.
Polling in the remaining 70 assembly constituencies will be held on November 17.
The ruling Congress has so far declared candidates for 83 candidates while the saffron party has named 86 candidates for 86 seats.
In the previous elections, the Congress registered a landslide victory, winning 68 out of 90 seats. The BJP, which ruled Chhattisgarh for 15 years, won in just five seats.