AHMEDABAD: With the elections around the corner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which earlier sought votes on the back of the "double engine" model of development, is now falling back on its Hindutva plank.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the BJP is working to remove specific community encroachment, which the Congress never did in the past due to vote bank politics.
Amit Shah was addressing an election campaign rally in Gujarat’s Khambhat assembly constituency.
Shah reminded the public about the demolition work done by BJP in Muslim areas saying “fake Mazars” (Muslim shrine/tomb) were removed from the residence of Lord Krishna’s Dwarka, an island near Gujarat’s Okha town.
Shah said, “Be it Mazar or graves, shouldn’t encroachments be removed? Congress may not like it. But even if they don’t like it, BJP will continue the clean-up. There is no need to be afraid.”
“Our CM Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi demolished the 'fake Mazars' in Beyt Dwarka. They were all encroachments in the name of Mazars and they were cleared but Congress said we were polarising,” he added.
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Shah also reminded people about developments done by the BJP government at various pilgrimages, saying “For years, there was a Mazar in Pavagadh (pilgrimage in Central Gujarat). It is the BJP government that built a Kali temple atop the hill. Congress will never do such a thing. But we are not afraid of any vote bank. For the BJP government, the security of the country is more important than being in power.”
“Don’t let Congress come to power or else communal riots will begin in the state again and you will face difficulties once again,” Shah added.
Talking about removing Article 370 in Kashmir, Shah said, “After so many years, PM Modi completed Sardar Patel’s dream of ‘Akhand Bharat’ and our Kashmir adorns the crown of Bharat Mata.”
The senior BJP leader talked about the demolition of Muslim areas in an Assembly constituency where the Muslim population are a deciding factor.
It is important to note that, on April 10, a clash erupted between the two communities during a Ram Navami procession in Shakarpur village of Khambhat town resulting in the death of one person and leaving six policemen injured.
The BJP, which campaigned extensively across 83 seats in poll-bound Gujarat last week, held Sabhas on Tuesday, across 93 assembly constituencies that go into polls in the second phase.
The Elections for the 182-member State Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
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