"Who Fired At Karsevaks And Who Built Ram Temple": Amit Shah In UP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at the opposition for keeping the Ram temple issue "hanging" and said the public has to choose between "those who opened fire at karsevaks and those who built the Ram temple." Shah made these remarks at a public rally in support of Rajveer Singh, the BJP candidate from Etah-Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.

Attacking opposition party leaders for not attending the Ram temple consecration ceremony, Shah said, "The people who did not go to the consecration ceremony, they know that they are the people who shot at karsevaks." He asserted that there are two groups to choose from -- "one that fired shots at Ram bhakts and one that built the Ram temple".

"The Congress, Rahul 'baba' and the party of Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) kept the Ram temple issue hanging for more than 70 years. You made Modi ji the prime minister for a second time and he did 'Jai Sri Ram' by doing the consecration ceremony on January 22," Shah said.

The home minister also alleged that the opposition parties ignored people from backward communities, who were granted their rights by Narendra Modi after he became prime minister.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said, "Rahul Gandhi says that if the BJP gets 400 seats, it will remove reservation. I want to say that we had a full majority for two terms but Narendra Modi is a supporter of reservation." "I want to say that it is a Modi guarantee that neither the BJP will remove reservations for SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes) and OBCs (Other Backward Classes) nor will it allow anyone to do so," Shah said.

Listing the BJP government's schemes, including free ration and homes to the poor, Shah said the free ration scheme will continue till 2029 if the BJP returns to power.

He also hit out at Samajwadi Party chief Yadav for allegedly fielding only members of his family.

Alleging that people had to migrate during the Samajwadi Party government, Shah said "goondas are forced to migrate not people" under BJP rule in Uttar Pradesh.

"In Uttar Pradesh, where once bombs exploded, today 'bombs' are being manufactured for export under the leadership of Modi," Shah said.

He went on to claim that the BJP will secure more than 100 seats from the seats that went to the polls in the first two phases while the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will not be able to open their accounts.

Polling in Kasganj will be held in the third phase on May 7.

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