New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of pushing "Pakistan's agenda". He said Gandhi would be defeated in Raebareli, and after that "he should settle down in Italy, the only place left for him". Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the family pocket borough of Raebareli apart from Wayanad. 

 

Attacking the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, Shah said, "Leaders of Opposition parties did not attend the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple as they were afraid of their vote bank and warned that they would put a Babri lock at the temple if they came to power."

 

"They might be afraid of their vote bank, we are not," he added, as quoted by PTI. "Not only did we get the Ram Temple built, Modi also built the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor that was destroyed by Aurangzeb."

 


 


Shah addressed election rallies in Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, and Kannauj on Wednesday.

 


"Uttar Pradesh will never support those who shy away from Lord Ram's work," he said, adding that "if the Opposition wins the elections, crackers will be burst in Pakistan".

 

Accusing the Samajwadi Party (SP) of perpetuating dynastic politics, Shah criticised the party's leadership for fielding family members in key constituencies. Highlighting the candidature of Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Aditya Yadav, Akshay Yadav, and Dharmendra Yadav in this election, he warned of a potential "expansion of dynastic influence to all 80 seats of the state once their children reach maturity".

 

During a rally supporting Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, the BJP candidate from Lakhimpur Kheri, Shah accused the Congress, SP, and BSP of "tarnishing the BJP's and Narendra Modi's image by spreading misinformation". This was in reference to Opposition leaders' statements alleging that if PM Modi secured 400 seats, reservations would be abolished.

 

"Rahul Baba's promise to eradicate poverty in one stroke contrasts with the Congress' historical track record. His grandmother imposed an Emergency in the country with a single stroke, while his father, Rajiv Gandhi, proposed triple talaq in one swift move," he added. "The Congress and its cronies — the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh — are anti-backward-people. All backward class people should understand this."

 

Amit Shah also sought to reiterate the significance of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), emphasising "PM Modi's commmitment to providing citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan who sought refuge in India".


 

He criticised Rahul Gandhi and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav for opposing the CAA, saying it cannot be repealed. Shah also derided the fact that the I.N.D.I.A bloc doesn't have a clear prime ministerial candidate, "leadership, or coherent policies". Leaders of the Opposition bloc, he added, were embroiled in "scams totaling Rs 12 lakh crore".
 




 

Shah said the BJP's poll campaign was going strong, adding that its tally had surpassed 190 seats in the three phases held so far. The home minister said the party was aiming for a significant victory in the fourth phase, adding that the SP, BSP, and Congress would be decimated.

 

He also spoke on Modi's track record in combating terrorism, highlighting achievements such as the surgical strike on terrorist camps in Pakistan.

Shah Takes A Jibe At Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra


Shah sought to ridicule Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India march)', suggesting that the party will need a "'Congress Dhoondo Yatra (Find Congress march)' after the elections". 

 

Addressing the Opposition's accusations on the alleged misuse of investigative agencies like the ED and CBI by the central government, he said corruption would not go unpunished. 

 

In Kannauj, where Akhilesh Yadav is contesting against BJP's Subrat Pathak, Shah criticised the Yadav family's political legacy, saying they "get detached from the region's welfare after elections".