Gujarat free of curfews, communal riots since 2002: Amit Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said that incidents of communal violence were once commonplace in Gujarat because anti-social elements, supported by the Congress, indulged in such activities, but the state is now experiencing a “permanent peace” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power.

Speaking at Mahudha town of Kheda district, he said, “During the Congress rule in Gujarat, communal riots were rampant. Congress used to incite people of different communities and castes to fight against each other. Through such riots, Congress had strengthened its vote bank and did injustice to a large section of the society.”

“We taught them (the Congress) a lesson for their misdeeds in the 2002 elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Gujarat has seen no curfews or communal riots between 2002 and 2022, and the people here live in permanent peace and prosperity,” he added.

Shah alleged that in the 1990s during the Congress regime, Gujarat had become a landing port of RDX.

“In the last three decades, we have secured the borders of Gujarat and now even a sparrow will have to rethink twice before entering Gujarat,” he said.

“Your vote will shape the future of Gujarat in the next five years. Your votes to the BJP in the coming assembly election will decide the future of Narendra Modi as the PM in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”

Shah on Friday addressed election rallies at Mahudha in Kheda district, Jhalod in Dahod district, Vagra in Bharuch district, and Naroda in Ahmedabad. He also held a roadshow from Surya Darwaja to Hari Siddhi Mata temple in the tribal-dominated Nandod taluka in Narmada district.

Gujarat votes on December 1 and 5, and the results will be declared on December 8. The BJP is seeking a seventh straight term in the state.

At all his rallies on Friday, Shah invited the audience and BJP lawmakers to the grand opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

“I invite all the BJP MLAs and people of Gujarat to come and witness the grandeur of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. You all are invited to the grand inauguration of the Ram Temple on January 1, 2024” said Shah.

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Addressing an election rally in the tribal-dominated Jhalod assembly constituency, a Congress stronghold in Dahod district, Shah contended that the successive Congress governments in the state were known for curfews, communal riots, casteism, corruption, and exploitation of tribals and OBCs.

“In the last two decades, the BJP government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed Gujarat. It now has the maximum number of startups, and contributes 30% in India’s annual export basket, modern infrastructure, education hub, industrial hub, the hub of renewable energy, and MSMEs, etc,” he said.

At a rally in Mahudha, he said, “Rahul Gandhi will not campaign in Gujarat because he already knows the outcome of the elections.” He added that Rahul Gandhi had termed the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Indian scientists as a “Modi vaccine” and took the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the middle of the night. “It is a disgrace for the Congress,” he said.

According to Shah, the BJP represented the welfare of tribal and backward groups, while the Congress represented corruption. “Our Narendra bhai provided 13 crore poor families with LPG cylinders, 10 crore toilets were built, 3.8 crore houses received electricity and water connections in 18,000 villages across the country, and the Maa card and Ayushman Bharat schemes provide ₹5 lakh in health insurance for the poor. What did the Congress do for the welfare of Gujarat’s tribal and backward populations?” Shah asked at a rally in Jhalod.

The Congress, in response, targeted the BJP on alleged corruption.

“In their 27 years of corrupt rule in Gujarat, the BJP has failed on every front. Will the BJP explain why there are internet bans? Why are daughters being raped, murdered, and sexually assaulted? Why are the terrorists responsible for the Akshardham attack still at large? Why is the government silent about the deaths of 135 innocent people in the collapse of the Morbi bridge? Why did more than 70 people die in the Gujarat hooch tragedy?” asked Manish Doshi, a Congress spokesperson.