'Sonia Gandhi Launched Rahul Yaan For 21st Time, But It Will Fail Again': Amit Shah On Rae Bareli LS Contest

Amit Shah branded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an urban Naxal party during his rally in support of BJP candidate Dhaval Patel in Vansda.

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah during a rally for Lok Sabha elections, in Valsad. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a dig at Rahul Gandhi during poll rallies in Gujarat, mocking his decision to contest from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi, stating that the "Rahul Yaan" will fail for the 21st time. Addressing poll rallies in Gujarat, Shah said Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli after realising that he will lose from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala.

"Sonia Gandhi launched 'Rahul Yaan' for the 21st time yesterday but it will fail again", he said in an apparent reference to the Congress leader filing nomination from family bastion Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

Shah addressed two rallies  in tribal-dominated areas of Bodeli in Chhotaudepur and Vansda in Valsad constituencies in Gujarat, as well as in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.

Shah remarked on Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad after losing in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying, "When he lost elections from Amethi, he went to Wayanad. As he has realised that he will lose from Wayanad this time, he is also contesting from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi", he said, adding that the problem is with you (Rahul) and not with the seats.

राहुल बाबा पहले अमेठी से लड़ते थे, वहां हारे फिर वायनाड भागे। इस बार वायनाड में जोखिम लग रहा है, तो रायबरेली गए हैं। ये रायबरेली में भी हारने वाले हैं।

- श्री @AmitShah

पूरा देखें: https://t.co/CQWj7CHC0X pic.twitter.com/fmqZsrfhBa

— BJP (@BJP4India) May 4, 2024

Addressing Gandhi directly, Shah advised him to acknowledge this reality. He predicted a substantial loss for Gandhi even in Rae Bareli, saying that regardless of his attempts to evade defeat, the electorate will hold him accountable. These remarks were made during Shah's campaign for Jashubhai Rathva, the BJP candidate for the Chhota Udaipur (ST) constituency.

Shah Dubbed AAP an urban Naxal party

Amit Shah branded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an urban Naxal party during his rally in support of BJP candidate Dhaval Patel in Vansda. He warned against the potential resurgence of Maoist activities in the region if the Opposition candidate, affiliated with AAP, were to win the Valsad Lok Sabha seat.

Shah alluded to the alliance between AAP and Congress in the Gujarat polls, with AAP fielding its Vansda (ST) MLA Anant Patel as their candidate in Valsad. He expressed concerns about the disturbance of peace in tribal areas due to this alliance, cautioning against the rise of extortion and Naxalism in the forested regions.

Shah talked about the importance of preventing Naxalism and urban Naxalism from gaining ground in the area. Additionally, he denounced false claims propagated by Rahul Gandhi and his allies, alleging that they were spreading misinformation about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on reservations.

During a gathering in Bodeli, Amit Shah accused the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc of reallocating reserved quotas intended for Dalits, tribals, and backward classes to Muslims. Shah reiterated PM Modi's commitment to preserving the reservation system for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, emphasising that their quotas would remain untouched as long as the BJP was in power.

He alleged that the I.N.D.I.A bloc had diverted reserved quotas to Muslims, citing examples from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where, he claimed, the Congress-led governments allocated a portion of OBC quotas to Muslims. Shah warned that if the opposition came to power, they would further reallocate quotas intended for marginalized communities to Muslims.

He challenged the opposition to revoke the reservations given to Muslims in those states, saying that they were the ones responsible for reallocating quotas and thus had no grounds to accuse PM Modi. Shah characterised their actions as hypocritical, likening it to "pot calling the kettle black."

Amit Shah alleged that the Congress party attempted to obstruct the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and opposed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He disclosed that invitations were extended to Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Arvind Kejriwal for the consecration of the Ram temple, but none accepted, purportedly due to fears concerning their vote bank.

Shah insinuated that these leaders prioritise appeasing their vote bank over participating in significant national events. He contrasted this with the BJP's stance, emphasising their lack of fear regarding any particular vote bank. Shah credited PM Modi for eliminating terrorism from the country over the past decade.

He recounted a time when infiltrators from Pakistan conducted daily bomb blasts in India, suggesting that previous Congress governments failed to address the issue due to concerns about their vote bank. It was Modi who eliminated terrorists by entering their houses, the Union Home Minister said, as per PTI.

Shah claimed the misinformation spread by Rahul Gandhi about the vaccination drive during the coronavirus pandemic led to the death of many tribals. Rahul asked tribals not to take the vaccine and termed it as the Modi vaccine. However, both brother and sister (Priyanka Gandhi) secretly took the vaccine at night.

They were not ashamed of playing politics during the times of COVID-19, he alleged.   Addressing a campaign rally in Daman city, Shah said the ongoing electoral contest is between PM Modi, the son of a poor tea-seller, and Rahul Gandhi who was born with a silver spoon.