Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with Network18’s Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, will “undoubtedly” return to office when the Bharatiya Janata Party gets a majority in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. . monday.
Participating in News18’s Gujarat session program in the poll-bound state, Shah spoke on a range of issues, including state elections, freebie culture, Uniform Civil Code, controversy over Sardar Patel, status of regions like Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, India’s International situation, border concerns, internal security and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Defining Freebies
PM sharing his thoughts on what Narendra Modi In what has been described as “Rewari culture”, the Home Minister attempted to draw a distinction between uplifting the underprivileged and giving handouts.
“Giving electricity to someone is not Rewari, but waiving the electricity bill. Giving a house to someone is not Rewari, but keeping it tax free is Rewari. We build toilets, but we do not do repair work.
The Congress rule at the Center was followed by a lingering recession, which affected the country’s poor the most. And helping such people is not Rewari, Shah said.
He said, “Giving someone a house, gas connection, electricity, Ayushman card, free food grains during the Kovid period, this is not a free distribution, but an attempt to raise the standard of living of the people.”
On UCC: ‘We keep our promises’
Speaking on the issue of Uniform Civil Code, the Home Minister said that no secular country should have laws based on religion. “It has been in our manifesto that we will bring a Uniform Civil Code. In any secular nation, there should be equal laws for citizens of all religions. This is our manifesto promise and we will fulfill it… We had promised Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and you will see it. We had promised to remove triple talaq, and we have fulfilled it. I ask Congress to openly take this stand that UCC should not come.
Asked how the Uniform Civil Code would be brought in Gujarat, he said the assembly would bring a law and it would be implemented.
Attack on Congress over Sardar Patel controversy
The Congress alleges that the BJP has changed the name of a cricket stadium in Gujarat by removing the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and adding the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Responding to this, the Union Home Minister made a scathing attack on the opposition party.
“Congress has no right to take the name of Sardar Patel. “The Gandhi-Nehru family has always tried to push Sardar Patel into the background. Narendra Modi made a grand statue of Sardar Patel. No Congress leader has gone to pay respects. Congress is spreading misinformation. The entire sports complex is named after Sardar Patel and a stadium is named after Narendra Modi.
He said that if all goes well, the Olympics will be held at the Sardar Patel Sports Complex.
Attacking the Congress, Shah said that during the 10 years of the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh government, the country witnessed scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore. “It was difficult to count scams under Congress rule and it is difficult to find scams under BJP rule,” he said.
On Gujarat and Himachal elections
Talking about the Gujarat elections to be held on December 1 and 5, Shah said the ruling BJP would increase both its vote share and number of seats by a record margin and come to power under the leadership of Bhupendra Patel. He dismissed any possibility of a major influence of the Aam Aadmi Party.
“The people of Gujarat have never accepted the concept of third party. Gujaratis have this habit of listening to everyone who has something to say. And if people get influenced by these things then I have nothing to say. The result will speak for itself,” he said.
He also said that in Himachal Pradesh, where elections have just been concluded, the BJP will retain power with results similar to the previous elections. He said that Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is leading the party. He said, “If we form the government in Himachal, he will continue to be the CM.”
‘Brought democracy to the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir’
Talking on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said that in Kashmir, earlier democracy was limited to three families: Gandhi, Mufti and Abdullah. He said that now the Narendra Modi government has done the work of taking democracy to the grassroots level.
Shah said India’s security forces have always fought against terrorism, but no one has taken action against those promoting terrorism. “We have ruthlessly cleaned up the support structure of terror in J&K,” he said, adding that tourists are visiting J&K in record numbers and that, under the BJP, Dalits and tribals are finally getting their due. Is.
When asked when elections can be held in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that it is for the elections Election Decide the commission.
The Union Home Minister said that after the formation of the AAP government in Punjab, the law and order has definitely collapsed. But, he said that the Center and the states will work together to improve the situation.
Talking about the troubling issue of drug-trafficking and several major seizures in Gujarat and other parts of the country in recent months, Shah said that even if a small packet of drugs is seized, government agencies “Top probe to unearth entire network of narcotics trade from top to bottom”.
international affairs
Shah also talked about the troubled situation in Pakistan and its impact on India, if any.
He said, ‘Whatever threat will be from Pakistan, it will remain on that side of the border. We will not allow it to enter India, I can assure everyone.”
Asked about India’s stand on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin, Shah refrained from commenting, but said the ruling BJP’s stand has not changed.
He also underlined India’s growing stature on the world stage under the Narendra Modi government, citing the Russia-Ukraine war.
“As a longtime student of international affairs, I had never seen this before,” he said. “35,000 Indian students were stuck and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to Russia and ukraine That the fight should stop for some time. And there was a ceasefire for 72 hours.
‘CAA will be implemented, Left Wing Extremism will be defeated’
Some commentators also raised questions about the fate of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the passage of which saw protests by some sections. “CAA is the law of the country. It got delayed because of Covid. But it will be implemented, there should be no doubt about it.
On matters of internal security, the home minister said government forces in Bihar and Jharkhand are waging a decisive battle against Left Wing Extremism, which is on the way out.
Asked about allegations of opposition leaders about misuse of central agencies by the ruling BJP, Shah said, “If people have complaints then they should go to courts and not the media… Our government matters on merit. chases after.”
With parties, especially the BJP, already planning for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Shah said he expected more seats from Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the south and more improvements in Odisha and West Bengal . “In 2024, we will retain power with a higher tally than in 2019,” he said.
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