Even If Congress Wants To Remove Reservation, We Won't Allow It: Amit Shah

Accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies on the issue of reservation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said even if the opposition party wants to do away with quota given to SC, ST and OBCs, the BJP will not allow it to happen.

Addressing rallies in Rajasthan, Mr Shah also claimed that the Congress wanted to remove the ban on the Islamic extremist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

He hit back at the opposition's claim that the BJP's slogan of winning 400 seats was aimed at changing the Constitution.

"When Congress got a majority, they used it to impose Emergency... we got the majority in 2014 and 2019, we did not use it remove reservation but to remove Article 370, to build Ram temple... bring CAA... give reservation to women ... we used our majority to remove poverty, to secure the country," Mr Shah said.

"Rahul baba, you should not lie. Even if the Congress party wants to remove SC, ST and OBC reservation... we will not allow it to remove reservation. This is Modi's guarantee. These (Congress) people are spreading lies," he said.

He claimed the Congress has harmed the interest of Other Backward Classes (OBC) the most.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the OBC community, Mr Shah said, adding that it was Modi who implemented schemes for various communities among the backward classes.

Mr Shah said Modi worked to give constitutional recognition to the National Commission for Backward Classes.

"We worked to give 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in all central institutions in the country. Modi, under whom respect for the country increased globally, also comes from the OBC community," he said.

Mr Shah said that before the Modi government, there was no scheme in the country for communities such as blacksmiths, tailors, carpenters and boat-makers, but Prime Minister Modi "spent Rs 13,000 crore and connected them with skill development and self-employment schemes".

"The Congress government did not implement the Mandal Commission report. During a discussion in Parliament on the reservation, Rahul baba's father Rajiv Gandhi spoke against it for two-and-a-half hours," he claimed.

Mr Shah said that if people had voted for Congress in the previous Lok Sabha elections, Kota would have become a stronghold of PFI.

"People voted for Modi, he has finished PFI and put them (PFI people) behind bars. Now these people say they will remove the ban on PFI".

"Do you think PFI should be banned or not?" the home minister said.

Urging people to vote for the BJP candidate, Mr Shah said, "Press the button of the lotus symbol on the EVM so hard that electric shocks are felt in Italy." Mr Shah was addressing an election rally in support of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the BJP's candidate and sitting MP from the Kota Lok Sabha seat.

He said that on one side is Modi who became a world leader due to his hard work and patriotism, while on the other side is "Rahul Baba" who came from dynasty politics.

Mr Shah alleged that the Congress was anti-development.

"The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project was not allowed to move forward by the former Gehlat government for five years, but the Bhajan Lal government worked to take it forward in these months," he said.

Earlier, in an election rally in Bhilwara, Mr Shah expressed confidence that Rajasthan was going to give all 25 Lok Sabha seats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third time.

He also targeted former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that he was "stuck" in the election campaign of his son Vaibhav Gehlot, the Congress candidate from the Jalore parliamentary constituency.

"The son is going to lose the election by a huge margin," the Union minister claimed, referring to Vaibhav Gehlot.

"The first phase of elections was held yesterday (Friday). All 12 seats of Rajasthan that voted in the first phase will go to Narendra Modi. Rajasthan is going to make a hat-trick of giving all 25 seats to Narendra Modi for a third time," he said.

Targeting Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he claimed that they go on vacations abroad every three months.

"Priyanka Gandhiji returned from Thailand after a vacation in the middle of the elections," he added.

Mr Shah said voting for Modi meant voting for the creation of "Mahan Bharat".

"Modi fulfilled all promises he made in the last 10 years," he added.

The Union home minister hit out at Congress leaders for not attending the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram temple, alleging that they were afraid of losing their vote bank.

"The public will never forgive those who did not visit Ram Lalla out of greed for vote bank," he said.

Mr Shah said that during the former UPA government's rule, terrorists used to infiltrate and carry out attacks.

"When the Modi government was formed, terrorists attacked again in Pulwama. They forgot it was not a Congress government anymore but a BJP government and that Narendra Modi is the prime minister. In just 10 days, Modi eliminated terrorists by conducting surgical and air strikes in Pakistan," he added.

"There is peace in Kashmir and the northeast. Naxalism is on the verge of ending. Modi has worked to secure the country and make it prosperous. In 10 years, Modi worked to bring the economy from number 11 to five. Make Modi the prime minister for the third time and India will become the third-largest economy," Mr Shah said.

The Union minister also highlighted the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission as an achievement of the Modi government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)