Amit Shah raises Pakistan, terror issues to fire at Congress ahead of polling in Telangana

“Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyar says since Pakistan has an atomic bomb, we should not raise the PoK issue,” the Union minister said referring to an old interview in which Iyar reportedly said that India should engage in dialogue with Pakistan, or else pay a heavy price.

A video of the interview went viral, prompting the Congress to distance itself from Aiyar’s statement.

“Similarly, INDI Alliance partner Farooq Abdulla says that we should respect Pakistan because it is a nuclear power. But we are not afraid of Pakistan and if it does anything, we will give a fitting reply,” Shah said.

Related: PM Modi rains ‘corrupt’, ‘anti-Hindu’ charges on Congress, BRS

Shah fires at Revanth Reddy

The senior BJP leader took exception to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy trying to make fun of India’s surgical strikes on Pakistan-based terrorist hideouts after the terror strikes in Uri and Pulwama.

“Revanth Reddy said the surgical airstrikes yield nothing and could not down even a crow. Revanth Reddy should keep in mind that we have cleared the terrorists from their hideouts by forcing our way in,” he said.

Shah dared the Congress to specify if it had the guts to conduct such strikes.

Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a man of action, the BJP leader said he had abrogated Article 370 which had been hanging fire for nearly 70 years.

Shah opined that it has become a habit for the Congress to belittle BJP’s achievements.

“Revanth Reddy asks why should the BJP raise the issue of Kashmir in Telangana. But I want to tell him that the issue was very relevant as the youth of Telangana were ready to lay down their lives to protect Kashmir.

He continued his attack on the Opposition. “The Congress leaders had been encouraging terrorism and protecting terrorists,” he said.

Related: Modi worried after 3rd phase of polls, says Mallikarjun Kharge

Ram Temple and vote bank

Shah said that the Congress stayed away from the consecration of Ram Temple at Ayodhya in January because it was afraid that its vote bank would disapprove it.

“The Congress leaders were invited for the ceremony but they gave it a miss. But the BJP is not afraid of this vote bank at all,” the Union minister said.

“In the Telangana too, Revanth Reddy is afraid of the AIMIM vote bank,” he added.

Arguing that the Congress had never bothered about Telangana and its development, he said that only the BJP could drive away the Congress and the AIMIM from the state.

Related: Trying to chase a wild goose with wild talk in Hyderabad

No religion-based reservation

Shah came down heavily on the Congress’s “calumnious” campaign that the BJP would scrap reservations for all sections if it got 400 or more Lok Sabha seats.

“We have been saying since the beginning that we would scrap reservations given to the Muslims as the BJP is against providing reservations based on religion. Did Modi touch reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs during the last 10 years though he had a full majority in Parliament in his two terms,” he asked.

“In fact, the Congress slashed the reservations available to the SCs, STs, and OBCs and transferred the quota to the Muslims,” he said.

Shah dared Revanth Reddy whether he could say that he would scrap reservations for Muslims. The Union minister maintained that the Congress was eager to win the elections by purveying lies and falsehood.

Polling in Telangana’s all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on Monday, 13 May.

(Edited by Majnu Babu).