Mumbai: BJP president Amit Shah on Friday called Opposition parties hands against the BJP to “snakes”, “mongoose”, “dogs” and “cats” to put across the point that parties with no ideological similarities are planning to join hands against the saffron party.
“Ye jo Modi ji ki baadh ayi hai na, iske dar se saap, nevale, kutti, kutte, billi sab ikattha hokar chunaav ladne ka kaam kar rahe hai (It’s the fear of Modiji’s oncoming flood that is causing snakes, mongoose, bitches, dogs and cats to join forces and fight the elections),” Mr Shah said at a massive rally in Mumbai.
He was referring to efforts being made by various parties like the Congress, SP, BSP, TRS, Trinamul Congress and TDP to sew up a coalition to take on the Modi-led BJP in the next general elections.
As his remarks sparked anger among Opposition parties, Mr Shah said that his intention was not to equate Opposition parties to animals.
“What I meant was that political parties having no ideological similarities are coming together out of fear of Modi,” he said at a press conference.
“Snake and mongoose have nothing in common. Let me take names: Samajwadi Party and BSP, Trinamul Congress and Congress, Chandrababu Naidu and Congress, they have nothing in common and no ideological similarities, but are coming together,” the BJP president said.
The BJP had put up a grand show of strength in Mumbai even as lakhs of Mumbaikars were inconvenienced by traffic jams and train delays. Thousands had gathered at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to attend the rally addressed Mr Shah on the occasion of the saffron party’s 39th Foundation Day, underlining the party’s numero uno position in the state. Before 2014, the BJP had always played second fiddle to the Shiv Sena.
Speaking at the rally, his party’s largest in the city so far, Mr Shah declared that the BJP-led NDA will return to power in 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Shah slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar for “misleading people against the BJP”.
The BJP chief reiterated that the Modi government will never abolish the Prevention of Atrocities Act and reservation to SCs, STs and OBCs, nor will it allow the Congress and other parties to do so.
While referring to the Lingayat issue, which has been raised by the Congress ahead of the Karnataka elections, Mr Shah alleged that it had done so to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the southern state. “But the BJP doesn’t believe in politics of caste and religion. The Congress and the Opposition want to create differences and disputes among castes for political gain,” he alleged.
Mr Shah asserted that no one dared to level allegations of corruption against the Central or the BJP-led Maharashtra government, which are working hard.
“We will come to power on the basis of the massive work undertaken by the Modi government for the poor, the common man and the youth,” he said, highlighting the programmes that had “brought change in the lives of crores of people”, including the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and free gas cylinder scheme.
Speaking at the event, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that works worth '5 lakh crore would be completed across Maharashtra within two years and employment will be provided to one lakh youths in the Mumbai port trust.
