Chakradharpur: BJP national president Amit Shah urged Monday the people of Jharkhand to exercise franchise in favour of his party, contending that their votes would determine if the state walked on the path of development or Naxalism.
Addressing a poll meeting here, Amit Shah said national and local issues were equally important for Jharkhand as people in the state wanted terrorism to be rooted out just as Naxalism.
“A majority of the jawans who are guarding the borders are from Jharkhand. People of this state want terrorism and Naxalism to be rooted out. Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) had given a befitting reply to the terrorists through air and surgical strikes, claimed Shah amid cheers.
Iterating that the BJP-led central government would drive out illegal immigrants from the country, Shah said ‘NRC will be implemented by 2024’. He challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also in Jharkhand, to give an account of his party’s development programmes in the region over the past 55 years.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is in Jharkhand today. I would like to ask him to give an account of his party’s development programmes of 55 years, we are here with our account of five years,” Shah told the gathering.
Taking a dig at the opposition camp, Shah, who is also the Union Home Minister, said parties that exploit tribals, indulge in graft worth crores, and buy and sell poll tickets could never work for Jharkhand’’s development.
Shah also slammed former Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren for forging a pre-poll alliance with the Congress.
“When the BJP and Guru ji (JMM chief Shibu Soren) were agitating for a separate Jharkhand, the Congress had opposed the demand, fired bullets at the youth of the state. I want to ask Hemant ji what prompted him to join hands with the Congress,” Shah said.
Listing the achievements of the Raghubar Das-led government in the state, the Union Minister said it was the BJP that brought the Anti-conversion Act to penalise forcible religious conversions in the state.
“Your votes will decide the future of Jharkhand; whether the state will walk on path of development or Naxalism,” the BJP chief said.
PTI
