Amit Shah speaks on assembly polls, Ram temple, Rafale deal and more: Top 10 quotes

With just nine days to go for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday claimed his party will retain power in the state with a thumping majority.

BJP chief Amit Shah in ABP News' Madhya Pradesh Shikhar Sammelan.

BHOPAL: With just nine days to go for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday claimed his party will retain power in the state with a thumping majority. Shah, however, refrained from projecting a clear figure but said the BJP will increase its tally of 165 seats, which it bagged in the previous elections. Shah, who appeared in ABP News 'Madhya Pradesh Shikhar Sammelan' program, spoke on a wide range of issues topics, including the Ayodhya dispute and the construction of the Ram temple, Sabarimala controversy, politically-charged Rafale row, the proposed grand alliance of the opposition and other issues. Top 10 quotes from BJP chief Amit Shah's interview at ABP News' 'Madhya Pradesh Shikhar Sammelan'. On Madhya Pradesh elections: "I cannot give you a clear figure as of now but I can say for sure that the BJP is coming to power with a thumping majority, with an increased tally. If we are projected to lose a state in an opinion poll, it does wonders to us. It motivates our cadres to work even harder for the party's success and it later results in the BJP winning the elections." On Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tenure as chief minister: "Under the BJP government with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its head, Madhya Pradesh, which was once tagged as a 'BIMARU' state, has witnessed a threefold development. If we compare the Congress' 55-year rule with Shivraj Chouhan's three terms as chief minister, the latter will outshine the former. Last two elections that Chouhan fought were without Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now he also has a forceful engine of Modi and I think the BJP will perform even better in the upcoming elections." On rebellion within the BJP over ticket distribution: "It happens during every election. It at times hurt the party but when you are way ahead of the required numbers, it gets balanced. When the people are with the BJP, then they will only vote for the person with lotus as his poll symbol." On tickets being given to BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya’s son and former CM Babulal Gaur's daughter-in-law: "I first want to define what dynasty politics is. It's when you're required to be born in a particular family to become its president or to lead the country. It's not dynasty politics if a leader's son was awarded a party ticket for assembly elections. When Sonia Gandhi announced that she will no longer be the Congress president after the Gujarat elections, was there any confusion in anyone's mind that Rahul Gandhi won't be her successor? This is dynasty politics while in the BJP no one knows who'll be party president after me or prime minister after Narendra Modi." On internal democracy in political parties: "The internal democracy of parties should be a poll plank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Modji has raised an important issue. Those parties which are unable to handle their internal democracy, cannot hold on to the democratic system of the country. The party that doesn't run on a democratic process cannot serve the people of this country. In the BJP, we believe anyone can become a president of the party. Once I used to paste posters and today I am the national president of the BJP. This is possible only in our party." On the GST and demonetisation: "We run the government for the country and for its development and not for the success of our party. We are not in power to govern but to take the country ahead. We never took those decisions which the people will like instead we took steps which will be beneficial for them. We work in the national interest and don't care for votes. I believe the people will respect this spirit of ours as they have been doing. What did Narendra Modi gain by implementing the demonetisation scheme or the GST regime? They are the steps taken for people in the national interest." On the controversy over the Rafale deal: The Congress is lying. The truth is that not a single penny was siphoned off in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets. If the Congress has so much information on the Rafale deal then why didn't it become a party in the case, which is in the Supreme Court? They should move the court. One thing I would like to say to the Congress that it should declare the sources of information its getting on the Rafale controversy. Which company is providing them with such information and what type of relation the party has with that particular firm. They're lying. The government gave the pricing details and other information to the Supreme Court though the court has not compelled us to do so. On the CBI infight: It's an unfortunate situation. As soon as the allegations surfaced we sent on leave of the officials (Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma) and handed the probe to the CVC. The allegations that the CBI was to take up a preliminary inquiry in the Rafale deal therefore the officials were sacked, doesn't hold ground because the Supreme Court has already taken the matter into its cognizance. On the anti-BJP 'grand alliance': The 'Mahagathbandhan' is an illusion. What can Mamata Banerjee do in Madhya Pradesh or Chandrababu Naidu in Chhattisgarh? How helpful can HD Deve Gowda be in Rajasthan? They all are leaders of their states. Modiji has come to power by defeating all of them in 2014. We want the entire opposition to unite under Rahul Gandhi, it's good for us but they are not ready to accept the Congress president as their leader. Both the Congress and the BJP want the opposition parties to accept Rahul Gandhi as their leader but it's not happening. On Ayodhya dispute: The stand of our party is clear that a grand Ram temple should be constructed at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It's also there in our poll manifesto. But we believe the temple should be built through the constitutional means. The RSS and others have the right to mount pressure on the government if they think it's getting delayed. They have the right to do so. The Centre has also urged the Supreme Court that it should not delay the hearing process. Now it's upon the top court to decide.