SILVASSA, Jan 6: BJP president Amit Shah attacked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi Sunday over a court order asking the publishers of the National Herald newspaper to vacate a premises in Delhi, saying those appropriating public property should not target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Without taking the name of Herald House, Shah alleged that the mother-son duo tried to evade Rs 600 crore in income tax and had sought to illegally register a public property worth crores in their name.
The Delhi High Court had last month asked the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald in which Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were shareholders, to vacate the premises in the Press Enclave at ITO in the national capital.
Addressing a booth workers’ rally here in Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli after inaugurating the new office of the BJP, Shah also said the BJP would work to flush out every infiltrator right from “Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Kamrup (Assam) to Kutch (Gujarat)” if the party returns to power again.
Singling out Rahul, Shah said the Congress government “lacked courage” to raise income of farmers.
Alleging “Rs 12-lakh crore corruption” under the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government, Shah said, “the mother-son duo of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi tried to evade Rs 600 crore in income tax and illegally registered a public property (Herald House in Delhi) worth crores in their name”.
Shah said while Gandhi’s entire family lineage was “mired in corruption”, there was not a single blot on Modi.
“Those appropriating public property cannot target Modi. When Rahul Gandhi levels corruption charges against Modi, he should first open his eyes. His entire family lineage is mired in corruption charges and there is not a single blot on Prime Minister Modi,” Shah said.
He said the Modi government ensured that farmers got 1.5 times production cost.
Shah reiterated his charge that the Congress was making “false allegations” over corruption in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal when there is none.
“Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has silenced Rahul Baba with her 2.5-hour-long speech in Parliament during a debate on Rafale issue by offering all facts,” he said.
Shah said Rahul continued to spread falsehood despite a Supreme Court ruling in December.
“I said let’s have a debate in Parliament (over Rafale). It was debated in the Parliament. You all listen to the speech of Nirmala Sitharaman,” Shah told the party workers.
Pointing out that Rahul Gandhi was asking the BJP-led government for its “report card” of its four-year performance, he said, “He should first give the report card of his four generations, who ruled the country and did nothing”.
Shah said the Congress failed to implement the Swaminathan Commission report when it was in power.
“These days Congress president is chanting about farmers. Why didn’t you remember farmers in the 60 years of your rule? The Swaminathan Commission report was lying on your table since 2007, but you didn’t have the courage to offer 1.5 times production cost to farmers,” Shah said.
He said the BJP government under Modi started offering 1.5 times estimated production cost to farmers across the country after coming to power.
The security of the country was “set aside” by the erstwhile Congress government of “Sonia and Manmohan Singh”, Shah alleged.
“Congress government had compromised on the security of the country but we worked for the country’s pride by conducting a surgical strike (on terrorists’ launchpads across LoC in 2016) to avenge deaths of Indian soldiers killed in the Uri attack,” he said.
On National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Shah said his government has pledged to detect, delete and deport “infiltrators” from the country.
“Rahul Baba and company, including Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, DMK, Communist Party, got together asking why they (infiltrators) were being expelled, as if they were sons of their aunt,” Shah said.
“….Help us come back to power and we will work to expel each and every infiltrator right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Kamrup to Kutch,” he said.
Infiltrators are like termites to our country. We will neither save them, nor allow you to save them, Shah said.
Members of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (proposed anti-BJP alliance) are opposing the NRC as they think of a vote bank and we think of the country’s safety,” he said.
Targeting the Congress chief, Shah said he should first give account of “four generations” of his party’s rule before seeking account of Modi government four years.
“You couldn’t get rid of darkness, smoke, disease, illiteracy in four generations of your rule and could not offer connectivity. However, in last five years, we have tried to work in all these spheres,” Shah said.
He said the country witnessed “all-round development” under Modi because he understood poverty by virtue of being the son of a tea-seller.
“Gandhi-Nehru family ruled the country for 60 years but they could not change the situation of the poor. BJP government is working as per the ideals of antyodaya. The government has worked hard and successfully, brought changes in condition of the poor,” he said, listing welfare programmes of the NDA dispensation.
The government is carrying out infrastructure projects of around Rs 5,000 crore in this UT, Shah said.
“We are doing so much for people, so the opposition is trying to divert attention,” he said, appealing for one more chance to the two BJP MPs from the UT. (PTI)
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