Calling the Congress’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar a ‘ghuspathiya bachao yatra (save the infiltrators rally) from the stage of a government function in Guwahati, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hit out at the party over abusive language used against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in Bihar on Wednesday.
Shah is in Assam for a two-day visit, during which he will participate in political meetings and inaugurate several government projects. He made these remarks while speaking at the inauguration of a newly constructed Brahmaputra Wing of the Raj Bhawan in Guwahati. At the event, he also virtually inaugurated the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory–North East (NCFL-NE) at the Lachit Borphukan Police Academy in Dergaon.
Speaking at the event, attended by senior Assam ministers as well as government officials, Shah launched an attack on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Voter Adhikar Yatra.
Earlier in the day, police in Bihar’s Darbhanga had arrested Mohammed Rizwa, a local Congress supporter there, for allegedly using abusive language against Modi at an event in Bithauli village. This was at an event organised as Gandhi passed through the village during the yatra.
“(Because of work done in the past 11 years), along with India itself, respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also increased in the whole world. Twenty-seven countries have honoured him with their highest civilian awards, and that is a matter of pride for India. But in India’s politics, we have seen a demonstration of the low standard of negative politics of hatred and disrespect that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has started in his ‘ghuspaithiya bachao yatra.’ From a welcome stage, insulting words were used against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother,” he said.
“Not just from today, since Modi ji became Prime Minister, since then Sonia ji, Rahul ji, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Digvijay Singh, Jairam Ramesh, Renuka Chowdhury, every Congress leader has used insulting words for Modi ji. Some call him maut ka saudagar, zehreela saanp, neech aadmi, Raavan, Bhashmasur, virus. What do Congress leaders think? That they will get the people’s mandate by using this kind of language? Today, I want to tell Congress leaders that the more abuses you give Modi ji, the more the lotus will grow and touch the sky,” he said.
The previous evening, Shah had chaired a state core committee meeting of the party to chalk out plans for next year’s Assam state legislative assembly elections.
Story continues below this ad
“In every election, they gave abuses and were defeated, and now they have started a ghuspaithiya bachao rally. This is nothing else but to protect their votebank. I want to ask the entire country, that in any democratic country, the soul of democracy is elections. If infiltrators enter the voter rolls and pollute the elections, how can the country remain secure,” he said.