Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday addressed a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker Lok Sabha constituency in the Bastar region. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he "has a track record of 10 years and an agenda for 25 years".
He also spoke about Naxalite violence in the state, saying previous Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ”took no action to solve the issue”. PM Modi, he said, “ended terrorism from the country and... Naxals are also on the verge of being finished”.
In the four months since the BJP had taken the reins of the state government, Shah added, "over 90 Naxals have been killed, and 123 arrested, while 250 more have surrendered". Under a third term for Modi at the Centre, "Naxalism will be wiped out completely from the state", he said.
Responding to the Congress’s criticism of PM Modi’s controversial remarks at an election rally in Rajasthan, Shah said the Opposition party has "become irritated ever since the prime minister questioned the Congress manifesto". Shah claimed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that the first right on the resources is of the minorities, not of the tribals and Dalits.
"But we say first right on resources is of the poor, backward classes, Adivasis and Dalits," he added.
Shah landed at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur on Sunday evening and chaired a meeting of senior party leaders at the state BJP headquarters. He took stock of preparations for the elections as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Tuesday and Wednesday.