Lucknow, Oct 30 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday sounded the BJP’s poll bugle in Uttar Pradesh, expressing confidence that the party would return to power with a thumping majority for a third consecutive term.
Addressing the newly constituted Uttar Pradesh BJP State Executive Committee in Lucknow, Shah urged party workers to focus single-mindedly on victory, projecting the meeting as a crucial organisational exercise ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
With the political battle for Uttar Pradesh gathering momentum, the Home Minister sought to energise the party cadre, highlight the achievements of the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state, and sharpen the party’s political attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress.
Drawing an analogy from the Mahabharata, he told workers that, like Arjuna, they should focus only on the bird’s-eye view — the BJP’s return to power for a third consecutive term.
Describing the Yogi Adityanath-led government as firmly entrenched, Shah said the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was like Angad’s foot, which nobody could move.
He asserted that the party was poised to secure another overwhelming mandate and urged workers to remain united and committed to the electoral objective.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party over the 1990 firing on Ram devotees, Shah recalled the events of October 30, 1990, alleging that the then SP government had ordered indiscriminate firing on kar sevaks and that their bodies were subsequently disposed of in the Saryu River.
Contrasting the incident with the BJP's role in facilitating the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he said the people of Uttar Pradesh would never forgive the SP for the incident.
On the BJP's national political position, Shah highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's achievement of becoming the longest-serving elected Prime Minister, while underlining the party's growth from just two parliamentary seats to becoming the world's largest political organisation.
He also pointed to the BJP's third consecutive victory at the Centre and NDA governments in 22 states.
Aiming at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah accused the Opposition of blaming electoral institutions instead of improving its political performance.
He said the BJP was ready for a parliamentary discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and challenged Gandhi to participate in a special session of Parliament.
Shah also asserted that the BJP was on course to remain in power nationally for the next 30 years, citing the party's electoral performances in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi and Assam.
He questioned the electoral record of the Opposition leadership and said the BJP is ready to repeat its electoral success in Uttar Pradesh.
Highlighting the Yogi government's law-and-order record and economic achievements, Shah said incidents of robbery, dacoity, extortion and communal riots have declined significantly since Adityanath became Chief Minister.
He said improved law and order had transformed Uttar Pradesh into an attractive investment destination.
Recalling that investment summits once had to be organised in Delhi because of the state's poor law-and-order situation, Shah said they were now being held in Lucknow, with investments worth lakhs of crores of rupees being attracted to the state.
He added that improved investment prospects had generated employment opportunities and helped check migration. Uttar Pradesh, he said, accounted for nearly seven per cent of India's electronic components exports, while investments worth Rs 35,000 crore had come into the state's Defence Corridor.
The Home Minister further claimed that the BJP government's development work over the last decade was approximately 200 per cent greater than the combined work undertaken during the SP and BSP regimes.
He credited PM Modi for providing resources to Uttar Pradesh and Adityanath for ensuring their effective implementation on the ground.
On the ideological and legislative front, Shah promised that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP returned to power. Referring to the abrogation of Article 370 and the abolition of triple talaq, he said several states had already implemented the UCC.
He also reiterated the BJP government's commitment to eliminating Naxalism and said the country would be completely free of drugs by December 31, 2029.
Shah described the BJP as a party of workers rather than leaders, asserting that its electoral victories were built on the dedication of its grassroots organisation.
He said India's development was inseparable from Uttar Pradesh's progress and called on workers to dedicate themselves to the vision of a developed India.
The meeting, inaugurated by HM Amit Shah with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Auditorium of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, was attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and several senior party leaders.
--IANS
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