In Bharuch, Gujarat, the discourse unfolded as Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a potent message on Saturday. He cautioned against the peril of endorsing “urban Naxals” and firmly contended that both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party stood in opposition to tribal interests. Speaking at a rally within Gujarat’s Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency, where the AAP has fielded a candidate in collaboration with the Congress, Shah implored the populace to cast their ballots in favor of BJP’s incumbent MP, Mansukh Vasava.
Shah emphatically stated, “A replacement for Mansukh Vasava, who epitomizes genuine public representation, would be a grave error. Entrusting the mantle to an urban Naxal would imperil the prosperity of this tribal enclave.” The electoral contest in Bharuch features Vasava squaring off against AAP’s incumbent MLA, Chaitar Vasava, in a region of south Gujarat renowned for its substantial tribal populace.
“The Congress and AAP have joined hands in a bid to despoil the citizenry. Without reservation, I declare the Congress as an adversarial force to tribal welfare, while the AAP harbors intentions of exploiting tribal constituencies for political gain,” Shah declared. Fabrications propagated by both parties, alleging that the BJP harbors intentions to amend the Constitution and abolish reservation quotas upon securing 400 Lok Sabha seats, were vehemently refuted by Shah. He labeled the Congress as proficient fabricators and likened the AAP to a chieftain of deceit.
Highlighting the steadfastness of the Narendra Modi-led government over the past decade, Shah iterated that had there been any inclination towards constitutional amendments, it would have been evident by now. “Rest assured, Modi has pledged to safeguard the reservation rights of Adivasis, Dalits, and OBCs,” Shah reassured the audience.
The insinuations propagated by the Congress and AAP regarding the Uniform Civil Code’s ramifications on tribal rights were dismissed by Shah. “Having scrutinized the UCC bill myself, it expressly exempts tribals from its purview. The baseless assertions by the Congress and AAP ought not to sway the discerning tribal populace, for Modi stands as a stalwart ally of the Adivasis,” Shah affirmed.
Comparing the developmental efforts of successive governments, Shah pointed out that while the Congress allocated a meager sum of Rs 28,000 crore during its tenure, the Modi government has allocated a substantial Rs 1.33 lakh crore since 2014 towards tribal development. The proliferation of Eklavya schools, tailored for tribal students, has surged from a mere 90 under the Congress-led UPA regime to a commendable 740 presently. Furthermore, a district mineral fund has been established with a robust corpus of Rs 75,000 crore to address the multifaceted needs of tribal communities encompassing water, education, health, and nutrition, Shah elaborated.
Shifting focus to the contentious Ram Temple issue, Shah criticized the conspicuous absence of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge during the idol consecration ceremony on January 22. “The reluctance of these individuals to partake in Lord Ram’s idol consecration raises pertinent questions. Will Bharuch extend support to those who neglect such significant cultural ceremonies?” Shah pondered aloud.