KOTDWAR (Uttarakhand), Apr 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a “guarantee” to bring uniform civil code in the country on the same lines as Uttarakhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
Addressing an election rally here, Shah also attacked Mallikarjun Kharge for questioning the “relevance” of Kashmir for other states, saying the Congress president is not aware of sacrifices made by the soldiers of Garhwal to save Kashmir.
Shah said right from the inception of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, its leaders had made a promise that there would be no law based on religion in this country and that there would be a uniform civil code (UCC).
“For the first time in the country, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami has introduced UCC in the state. Modi has given a guarantee in our ‘Sankalp Patra’ (manifesto) to introduce UCC in the whole country on the same lines,” the BJP leader said.
He also attacked Kharge for questioning the “relevance” of Kashmir for other states.
“Congress national president Kharge says what the people of Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have to do with Kashmir. Kharge does not know that the soldiers of Garhwal shed maximum blood to save Kashmir,” Shah said at the rally while campaigning for BJP’s Pauri Garhwal candidate Anil Baluni.
At a rally in Rajasthan recently, Kharge had raised questions over mention of Article 370 abrogation by BJP leaders in their rallies. “Are bhai, yahan ke logon se kya wasta hai (what has it got to do with the people here),” Kharge had said.
Shah said during the Congress-led UPA, anyone would come from Pakistan and return after setting off explosions but after Narendra Modi took over, Pakistan got a fitting retaliation for its dastardly attacks in Uri and Pulwama through surgical and air strikes which eliminated terrorists on their turf.
He also accused the Congress of using “abusive words” against former chief of defence staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, saying the opposition party’s culture allowed it to insult a brave warrior like him.
Shah also dismissed Kharge’s claim that a third term for Modi as prime minister would end reservation in the country.
“Kharge says reservation would go away if Modi becomes PM for a third time. Modi ji is the biggest supporter of reservation. We would neither withdraw reservation nor let anyone do it,” the Union home minister said.
Drawing a comparison between 10 years of the Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA governments at the Centre, he said the Congress government gave Rs 53,000 crore to Uttarakhand in 10 years, whereas the Modi government gave Rs 1,66,000 crore to the state in 10 years.
Giving details, he mentioned that Rs 82,000 crore was given for infrastructure, Rs 31,000 crore for roads, Rs 50,000 crore for railways and Rs 100 crore given for airports.
Shah said to stop migration from the hill state and promote tourism, Modi built the Chardham all-weather road project at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
“Dehradun-Delhi Economic Corridor is being built at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore. Thirty highways have been inaugurated at a cost of Rs 500 crore and border villages are being developed under the ‘Vibrant Village’ scheme,” he added.
Shah said the Congress could not abrogate Article 370 in Kashmir for 70 years but Modi put an end to it forever in 2019.
He also reminded the public that the Congress had opposed the formation of Uttarakhand and said late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee created it and now Prime Minister Modi is shaping it.
He asked the public to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Modi by ensuring the victory of Baluni for a developed Uttarakhand.
He claimed that 14,000 Congress leaders have joined the BJP in Uttarakhand in the last three months.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal is asking his party workers to induct BJP leaders in the Congress, Shah said, adding that Venugopal is not aware of the ground situation.
“Congress leaders are competing with each other to join BJP…If we start taking in each one of them, the Congress will be left with nothing but the party office,” he said.
Shah said every vote to the BJP would steer Modi to a third term as prime minister to take India to new heights of development.
“A developed India also means a developed Uttarakhand. Modi ji has already said the decade belongs to Uttarakhand,” he said.
Shah said “tomorrow is Ram Navami” and Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will celebrate his birthday for the first time in 500 years in his temple, not in a tent.
“Tomorrow, Ram devotees across the country will have tears of joy in their eyes,” he said. (PTI)
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