नवीनतम
Bihar polls not one-sided but NDA has a massive edge', says Shah
PATNA [Maha Media]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Bihar Assembly election is not going to be one-sided but is heavily slanted in the favour of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He criticised the remarks of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but added that people have stopped taking him seriously.
“The contest is not one-sided, but we have a very big edge over the opponents,” Shah said about the upcoming two-phase Bihar election scheduled on November 6 and 11.
Earlier, addressing a BJP workers' conclave at Forbesganj in Bihar in September, Shah had set a target of winning over 160 Assembly seats in the polls. It was considered a climbdown from the 225 seat target fixed by several NDA leaders. The Bihar Legislative Assembly has 243 seats.
Shah was talking to media persons on the sidelines of a press conference on the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) celebrations that would be observed on October 31 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Asked about Rahul’s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi indulging in drama and that he could even dance on the stage for votes at an election rally at Muzaffarpur on Wednesday, Shah said, “Why use such foul words about the Prime Minister? Nobody takes him (Rahul) seriously".
However, the Union Home Minister dodged questions about US President Donald Trump repeatedly asserting that he forced PM Modi to stop Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, which is being used by Rahul and other Opposition leaders to target the Central government.
“Listen to the leaders of our country. We are the devotees of ‘swadeshi’ (indigenous, or not imported). Why should we pay attention to foreign leaders?” Shah asked.
Operation Sindoor was launched against Pakistan on May 7 following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 civilians, including one Nepali citizen, were killed. The operation was halted on May 10.
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for it, saying he arm-twisted India and Pakistan to bring peace by threatening to impose massive trade tariffs on imports from both the countries.
Earlier, speaking about the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Shah announced that a Republic Day parade by the paramilitary and police forces from different states would henceforth be held every year on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Patel, the first deputy Prime Minister, also known as the ‘Iron Man of India’ for the merger of the princely states and uniting the country.
“We all know Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s role in uniting the country after Independence. This year, the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, which marks his birth anniversary, would be celebrated with a grand parade in which units of various police and paramilitary forces would participate. Similar parades would be organised every year to mark the day,” Shah said.
The Union Home Minister added that the Prime Minister would attend the parade that would be held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Friday.
Asserting that he halted his election campaign in Bihar, to inform media persons about the Ekta Diwas celebrations, Shah said that the celebrations would give way to a ‘Bharat Parva’ – a festival to showcase the cultural diversity of the country.
The festivities would end on November 15 on the occasion of Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, which is celebrated as the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ (Tribal pride day).
The Union Home Minister also slammed the Congress for neglecting Sardar Patel’s legacy after Independence. “The Congress left no stone unturned to make people forget Patel. There was a delay of 41 years to award Bharat Ratna to him, posthumously. It did not construct any memorial or shrine dedicated to him. When Modi ji became Prime Minister, he built the Statue of Unity in his honour,” Shah added.
Shah further said that the nationwide ‘Run for Unity’ event would be expanded across schools, colleges, universities, police stations and districts across all states to strengthen India’s integration.
