Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday sought to pitch the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a clash between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, saying people have to decide who they want as the next Prime Minister.
Addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Nanded as part of the BJP’s outreach programme to mark nine years of the Modi government, Shah appeared to be campaigning for 2024, bringing up polarising issues such as the “construction of the Ram temple destroyed by Babar”, “reservation for Muslims” and “scrapping of Article 370 and triple talaq”.
“The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will decide who will be the Prime Minister — Narendra Modi or Rahul baba,” Shah said before asking, “Tell me loudly, who should be the Prime Minister?”
Shah’s objective appears to be two-pronged. One, transform the general election into a presidential-style contest that focuses on the personality cult rather than issues that affect voters. Two, prevent Opposition unity, the biggest threat to the BJP, by amplifying leadership as a potential dealbreaker.
In the recent Karnataka elections, where the Congres had kept the focus on bread-and-butter issues, the BJP received a drubbing despite Modi making multiple trips to the state and holding road shows and rallies.
Amid chants of “Modi, Modi” from the crowd, Shah said that Modi had brought the world’s “samman” (respect) for India while Rahul had defamed the country on foreign soil.
“Today, many heads of state across the globe are hailing Modiji. While some refer to him as ‘boss’, others are touching Modiji’s feet and seeking his autograph,” Shah said.
“Unable to tolerate this respect for the country, Rahul baba is defaming India on foreign soil. He is speaking in foreign countries because very few people listen to him here,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi was in the US this month and at meetings with students, leaders and the Indian diaspora, he had spoken of the difference betweenthe BJP and the Congress and the threat to democracy in India.
Referring to the previous UPA government as the “Sonia-Manmohan sarkar”, Shah termed it the most corrupt government and hailed Modi as the first Prime Minister since Independence who had worked for the poor.
Focusing on Maharashtra politics, Shah lashed out at former chief minister and former ally Uddhav Thackeray for joining hands with the Congress-NCP.
“I want to ask Uddhavji to clear his stand on his ally Congress in Karnataka resorting to erasing Veer Savarkar from history. Does he (Uddhav) support this move of the Congress?” Shah said.
Uddhav and the Shiv Sena hail Savarkar, the Hindutva ideologue from Maharashtra, as a great son of the soil and Shah sought to put the former ally in a political bind over the issue.
Shah also asked Uddhav to clear his stand on reservation for Muslims, Ram temple construction and the triple talaq. “Does Uddhavji support reservation for Muslims? Does he support the scrapping of the triple talaq?” he said.
Referring to the renaming of some cities in Maharashtra such as Aurangabad and Osmanabad, which has kicked up a political storm in the state, Shah said thatUddhav could not support the changes by remaining in alliance with the Congress and the NCP.
He urged the people of Maharashtra to “bless Modiji” with more than 45 Lok Sabha seats from the state and pave the way for a third term for the Modi government with a two-thirds majority.
