Nanded (Maharashtra) [India], June 10 : Hitting out at the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the 10 years of the grand old party's rule were a period of increasing poverty, while the nine years of BJP rule are India's pride.
Amit Shah was addressing a public meeting in Nanded, Maharashtra on the completion of 9 years of the Modi government.
Shah said, "The 10 years of the Sonia-Manmohan government were a period of increasing poverty in the country whereas during 9 years of Modiji's government, a lot of poor welfare works were undertaken."
He said that only after the Congress rule ended and the BJP came to power did India make progress.
"The last 9 years of PM Modi-led Government are the years of India's pride, of India's development, of India ensuring the welfare for poor. Only after Sonia-Manmohan rule ended and Modi Ji took command did India make progress and ensure development," Shah said.
In an attack on Uddhav Thackeray over his stand on reservation, he said that the BJP believes that there should not be Muslim reservation as it is against the Constitution.
"BJP believes that there should not be Muslim reservation as it is against the Constitution. Religion-based reservations should not happen. Uddhav Thackeray should make his stand clear on this," said Shah.
"Uddhav ji - We abolished triple talaq... do you agree with that or not? - Do you agree with the Ram temple being built or not? Do you clarify whether you want Common Civil Code or not? - You tell whether Muslim reservations should be there or not?" Shah asked.
Lauding the work done by the PM, Shah said that India's culture and heritage are being best preserved under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi.
"India's culture and heritage are being best preserved under the strong and dynamic leadership of Modi Ji. The last 9 years of the BJP government have ensured poor welfare and good governance in a true sense," Shah added.
"Narendra Modi ji has done the work of respecting the country's culture and history, Narendra Modi ji has done the work of making the country proud in the world. Today, wherever he goes in the world, slogans of Modi-Modi ji are raised and this respect is not for Modi ji but for our people," he added.
He said that every poor should get clean drinking water, toilets, and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh.
"Every poor person should get clean drinking water, toilets, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, 80 crore people should get free ration, every poor should get a house....," Shah said.
Lashing out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent criticism of the government during his US visit, Shah said that he criticised the government on foreign soil because very few people are left to listen to him in India.
"On the one hand, Modi ji is getting respect in the world, while on the other hand, Rahul Baba, the prince of Congress, is doing the work of insulting the country. They don't speak here, they go abroad and speak... because there are very few people left to listen to them in the country," said Amit Shah.
During a six-day, three-city tour of the United States, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The central architect of modern India, Mahatma Gandhi, was an NRI. The foundation for India's freedom movement was laid in South Africa...Nehru, BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, all were NRIs and had an open mind about the outside world," Rahul Gandhi said.
Earlier today, Amit Shah offered prayers at Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurudwara at Maharashtra's Nanded.
Shah is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh starting Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Shah planted saplings at Gokul Global University in Gujarat's Patan.
Shah's event is part of the party's month-long campaign covering all Lok Sabha constituencies to mark the completion of nine years of the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Union Home Minister is also likely to address a rally in Abchalnagar ground of Nanded the second largest city in the Marathwada region. It is home to one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Sikhs, as Guru Gobind Singh had spent his last days in Nanded.
The Home Minister will reach Chennai by Saturday late evening and go into a huddle with party workers on Sunday.
He will also address a rally in Vellore in Tamil Nadu to highlight the achievements in 9 years of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
The rally is part of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit to hold 66 public meetings in a month to highlight the achievements of the government under PM Modi. Several national leaders of the BJP would headline public meetings in the state over a month.
Union Minister of State for Personnel and PMO, Jitendra Singh, addressed a meeting in Chennai last week, highlighting the 'achievements' of the BJP government at the Centre.
On June 11, the Home Minister will reach Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh where he will address a public meeting at the railway grounds as part of the nationwide celebrations being organised in every Parliamentary constituency on the completion of 9 years of the government led by PM Modi.
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