Addressing an event organised on Sunday to mark the birth anniversary of late Kurmi (backward caste) leader Sonelal Patel, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Uttar Pradesh got completely rid of the "divisive forces" of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) forged an alliance. He said this on the birth anniversary of Union Minister Anupriya Patel’s father Sonelal Patel in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as he made a strong pitch for consolidation of backward caste voters in the state, as reported by news agency PTI.
Shah highlighted the success of the BJP and Apna Dal (Sonelal) alliance while noting that it has won four elections in the state since 2014. He also targeted the Congress, BSP and SP. He said in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Apna Dal (S) have contested four elections together, which include two Lok Sabha polls (2014 and 2019) and two assembly elections (2017 and 2022).
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, he was quoted as saying by PTI: "As a result, UP has got completely rid of divisive forces ('vighatankaari shaktiyon') of SP and BSP.”
Shah said the maximum number of MPs belonging to the OBCs, SCs and STs were from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He also listed steps taken by the Modi government for the upliftment of these communities and change in their lives in the last nine years of the Modi government.
"After Independence, it was the first council of ministers of the BJP and NDA, in which 27 ministers were from the backward community. The maximum number of MPs from the OBC, SC and ST elected in any alliance was in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance),” said Shah, as quoted by PTI.
He also said that the Congress, SP and BSP were either in power or partners in power. However, they never worked to grant constitutional status to the backward class commission, according to Shah.
The home minister was quoted as saying by PTI: "They never formed commissions like the one for the Dalit brothers or for the tribal ('Adivasi’) brothers. Modi worked to give constitutional status to the OBC Commission, by which the path of development of the backward class was laid.”
The BJP leader further said the law and order situation in UP has improved under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his administration is also implementing schemes meant for the poor.
Shah also appealed to the Apna Dal (S) workers and said they have to once again make Apna Dal (S), BJP and NISHAD party win all the seats of UP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Eventually, Shah said, "It is a matter of happiness that the path shown by Sonelal Patel has been taken forward by sister Anupriya in continuing to work for the backward people," reported PTI.