Amit Shah vows to safeguard reservations, slams Congress for misinformation

NIZAMABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah affirmed that the Bharatiya Janata Party was committed to safeguarding reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

Addressing a public meeting in Nizamabad on Sunday in support of sitting MP Dharmapuri Arvind, Amit Shah accused the Congress party of spreading misinformation through a fake video, suggesting that the BJP would end these reservations if it came to power. He reassured the public that the BJP would protect reservations under all circumstances. He also criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for allegedly targeting him with fake videos. "Revanth Reddy, this doesn't look good. If you make a fake video and then complain about Delhi police targeting you, what do you expect?" he asked.

Amit Shah said that if the BJP came to power in Telangana, it would scrap Muslim reservations and redistribute them among other castes. He alleged that significant injustice had occurred during the BRS regime. Furthermore, he criticised the current Congress government, calling it a "commission government." He claimed that the Congress administration imposed what he called the "RR Tax - Rahul-Revanth Tax," suggesting it was a means to collect funds and send them to Delhi.

He also promised a grand celebration of Telangana Liberation Day in Hyderabad. Additionally, he accused MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi of opposing the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI). "Modi banned PFI, but Owaisi opposed it. Despite this opposition, organisations like PFI will not operate in India," he said.

Amit Shah stated that Naxalism would be completely eradicated from the country if Narendra Modi were re-elected as Prime Minister.

Amit Shah said that two phases of the Lok Sabha elections had concluded, and the BJP had performed exceedingly well. "In these two phases, Modi has scored a century and is moving forward," he said, adding that the party expected to win over 200 seats in the third phase and potentially increase its tally to 250 after the polling in Telangana. He highlighted that BJP's vote percentage has grown with each Telangana election. While BJP won only one seat from Telangana in 2014, it won four Lok Sabha seats in 2019, and Shah predicted that the party would win over ten seats in 2024.

He alleged that during Congress rule, there was corruption amounting to Rs 12 lakh crore across India. He claimed that the Congress party had failed to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya for over 70 years, whereas the BJP ensured its construction soon after coming to power. He noted that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were invited to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya, but neither attended, allegedly due to concerns over losing their vote bank.

The Home Minister credited the abrogation of Article 370 for bringing peace to Kashmir. "During the Congress regime, there were daily bomb blasts, but under Modi's governance, there is peace across the country," he said. He also noted that Muslim women were pleased with the end of triple talaq, which the BJP achieved through new legislation.

Amit Shah urged voters to re-elect Dharmapuri Arvind from Nizamabad, mentioning that if Arvind won a second term, the Turmeric Board's headquarters would be located in Telangana.