In Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, launched a scathing diatribe against the Congress, alleging that the opposition party “guarded” Article 370 of the Constitution, which exacerbated terrorism in the nation. Furthermore, he proclaimed that the BJP adamantly opposes any further fragmentation of the nation.

During a Lok Sabha electoral gathering in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Shah asserted, “The Congress and the Samajwadi Party safeguarded Article 370 for seven decades, fostering a surge in terrorism nationwide. “You bestowed upon Modi the premiership for a second term, and he annulled Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. In Kashmir, where the Army once had to accompany the unfurling of the tricolour, today, at that very Lal Chowk in Srinagar, the grand procession of Lord Krishna commences.”

The rally aimed to garner support for B P Saroj, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee from the Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency in Jaunpur. Alleging that Congress leaders advocate for the division of the nation into South India and North India, Shah remarked, “The Congress, unsatisfied with its prior partitioning of the nation, harbors ambitions for further fragmentation. The BJP vehemently opposes any such division.”

Additionally, the senior BJP figure accused the Congress of propagating falsehoods that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi secures a third term, he will dismantle reservation policies. “Modiji has enjoyed a majority for the past decade and has refrained from tampering with reservation. As long as the BJP maintains even a single MP, reservation remains untouchable,” he affirmed.

Directing a query to the SP and Congress, Shah questioned, “I wish to inquire of (SP chief) Akhilesh Yadav and (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi: what did Uttar Pradesh gain during their decade-long tenure? They allocated Rs 4.9 lakh crore to Uttar Pradesh over the span of ten years, whereas Narendra Modi disbursed Rs 19.11 lakh crore.”

Machhlishahr is slated for polls in the sixth phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election on May 25. Twelve contenders vie for the constituency, with the primary contest pitting the BJP’s B P Saroj against the SP’s Priya Saroj.