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Tag: Amit Shah

  • BJP will win 26 of 30 seats in Bengal, 37 of 47 seats in Assam in first phase of polling: Amit Shah

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Sunday said according to the feedback received from the ground, the saffron party will win 26 of the 30 seats that went to polls in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly election.

    Similarly, he said the party has got clear-cut indications that it will win 37 of the 47 Assembly seats in Assam that went to polls in the first phase on Saturday.

    Addressing a press conference at his residence here, Shah said the peaceful polling and the high voter turnouts are positive signs for the two states and thanked the voters.

    He also expressed gratitude towards the Election Commission (EC) for conducting peaceful elections in Assam and violence-prone West Bengal.

    According to the feedback received from the party workers on the ground, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win 26 of the 30 seats in West Bengal and 37 of the 47 seats in Assam in the first phase of polling, Shah said.

    He exuded confidence that the saffron party will register a massive electoral victory in West Bengal by winning more than 200 seats in the 294-member Assembly and also improve its tally in Assam.

    Shah also appealed to the people of Nandigram, from where West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is contesting the polls, to vote for change and a better future of the state.

    Rejecting the TMC’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh, he said the visit is to strengthen bilateral ties and has nothing to do with elections.

     

  • Day before Assam polls, Shah says BJP will enact laws to prevent ‘love and land jihad’ in state

    By Online Desk
    A day before Assam gets ready for its first phase of Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said at a rally that BJP will enact laws to prevent “love and land jihad”.

    Addressing a rally in Assam’s Kamrup, Shah said AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal is doing ‘land jihad’.

    “I give you a guarantee that after five years you will not find anyone indulging in ‘land jihad’ in the state.” said the BJP leader.

    ​ALSO READ | Assam Assembly elections: 47 constituencies gear up for first phase of polls amid COVID-19

    Shah also questioned the voters if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and modern Kalapahad Badruddin Ajmal would keep Assam safe. 

    He also said ‘if Badruddin Ajmal government is formed here, will it be able to stop infiltrators? Only BJP govt can stop the infiltrators. PM Modi speaks of developing Assam with the help of double engine govt and Congress brings Kalapahad to facilitate double infiltration”

    Assam is all set to witness mostly direct or triangular contests between the ruling BJP, its alliance partner the Asom Gana Parishad, opposition Congress and the newly formed Assam Jatiya Parishad in the first of the three-phased assembly elections.

    (Inputs from ANI)

  • Vote for PM Modi if you want schemes, elect TMC if you prefer scams: Amit Shah

    By PTI
    BAGHMUNDI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for failing to generate employment besides chasing away automobile industry and asked people to vote for BJP if they want pro-people schemes and for “incompetent” TMC government if they prefer scams.

    Reaching out to politically crucial Kurmi caste population of the Purulia district, Shah promised jobs for their every family and education in their language.

    He also promised to build an AIIMS in the Junglemahal area.

    “Initially, it was the Left which ensured flight of capital. Then it was Didi who chased away automobile industry from Bengal. She has failed to generate employment.

    “If you want schemes, you vote for Modiji and if you prefer scams, then vote for incompetent TMC. It is for you to decide,” he said while addressing an election rally here.

    Accusing the TMC of running a “corrupt dispensation”, Shah said the BJP will end “cut money” culture in Bengal.

    Noting that the TMC government has neglected the adivasis (tribals) and Kurmi caste voters, Shah said if voted to power, then every Kurmi and adivasi families will get one job each.

    “We will provide jobs to each adivasi and Kurmi families of the state. The adivasis don’t get MSP for their produce; we will include their produce in the list of crops so that they also qualify for MSP,” he said.

    “We will also ensure that the children of Kurmi family can get education till Class X in their language and that too free of cost,” he said.

    Stressing on the need for pure drinking water in the area, Shah said the TMC government had forced Purulia natives to consume “fluoride contaminated water”.

    “We have will come up with Rs 10,000 crore clean drinking water project in Purulia. Didi has forced you to drink fluoride contaminated water,” he said.

    Highlighting prevalence of dengue and malaria in the area, the senior BJP leader said, “if you want to get rid of dengue and malaria, you have to defeat Didi in the elections.”

    She has a special affinity with dengue and malaria, and that is why she has done nothing to address the problem here.

  • Shah and Mamata trade salvos as game of blaming each other goes on

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Election campaign in West Bengal is turning out to be a contest to outscream each other. More than political agendas, parties are pursuing personal lines of attack and indulging in a game of mu slinging. Tuesday was no different as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Union Home Minister Amit Shah traded barbs during addressing ralliess.

    Shah hit out at Mamata’s nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and accused him of messing up with funds sent by the Centre as relief for the victims of Cyclone Amphan. The CM branded BJP as a party of monsters and dacoits.

    Addressing a rally in Gosaba, a stronghold of the ruling TMC in South 24 Parganas district, Shah warned that all those involved in the compensation scam will be put behind bars if the saffron party comes to power in the state.

    “Modiji had sent Rs 10,000 crore for Amphan relief. Did you get its benefit? Nephew and his associates siphoned off the fund. After coming to power, we will set up a special investigation team and probe all discrepancies. No one will be spared. We will put all those involved in the scam behind bars,’’ said Shah without mentioning Abhishek’s name.

    TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee termed Shah’s claim false. “The Centre had given only Rs 1,000 crore against our demand of Rs 6,000 crore,’’ he said. In a prompt reply after Shah’s attack, Mamata said: “They (BJP) want to run one factory in the country which is manufacturing lies. They are selling everything. BJP is a party of monsters and dacoits.’’

    Though Mamata had hitherto not named the saffron camp for the injury on her leg, on Tuesday she held BJP responsible for the incident. “BJP thought I would not leave home after they hit my leg. My one leg is enough to kick them out of Bengal,’’ she said at a rally in Purulia district.

  • Amit Shah returns to Guwahati by road following technical problem in helipcopter

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The helicopter in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to travel from Udalguri to Guwahati developed a technical snag forcing him to take the road on Monday, party sources said here.

    Shah had addressed an election rally at Udalguri, the third during the day in Assam, and was informed about the snag before he boarded the flight.

    He later left by road for Guwahati, abround 70 km, where he was scheduled to address party workers in a closed door meeting.

    An Udalguri district official said that the snag was detected during a routine checkup before the VIP boarded the helicopter.

    Shah had arrived here in the afternoon and addressed rallies at Jonai, Majuli from where Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was contesting and Udalguri in Bodoalnd Territorial Region (BTR).

  • BJP releases Bengal poll manifesto, promises CAA, 33% reservation for women

    By Online Desk
    The BJP on Sunday unveiled its manifesto for the West Bengal elections, promising to build a “Sonar Bangla” by providing employment, strengthening social security schemes and vowing to clear the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the first cabinet meeting of the new government.

    Speaking at the event, Shah said, “We have decided to call our manifesto a ‘Sankalp Patra’. It is not just a manifesto but a resolution letter for West Bengal by the country’s largest party. We will create a Sonar Bangla”.

    Unveiling the “Sonar Bangla Sankalpa Patra” at EZCC in Salt Lake, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that BJP will ensure the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme and the PM-Kisan programme in the state, besides giving at least one job per family.

    The BJP’s manifesto mentioned that no infiltrators to be allowed in Bengal and border fencing will be strengthened with CCTVs and other devices. “The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented during the first cabinet meeting after forming the government,” Shah said. However, the Home Ministry is yet to form rules for the Law that was passed in 2019.

    BJP releases ‘Sonar Bangla Sankalp’ Promises-*33% reservation for women in jobs*Three new AIIMS*Rs 6000 assurance for fisherfolks*Strengthening Indo-Bangla border*Free public transport for women*One job per family*Implementation of 7th pay commission@NewIndianXpress
    — Alisha Rahaman Sarkar (@zohrabai) March 21, 2021

    Assuring to provide arrears of Rs 18,000 to 75 lakh farmers of the state under PM-Kisan, the BJP promised Rs 10,000 per year for them, if voted to power, with Rs 6,000 being contributed by the Centre and the rest by the state.

    The party also announced a Rs 5,000 crore intervention fund to assure farmers’ economic security, besides accidental insurance worth Rs 3 lakh for small farmers and fishermen.

    In the manifesto, the party promised a Sonar Bangla fund worth Rs 11,000 crore to promote art, literature and other such sectors, and a Tagore Prize on the lines of the Nobel Prize.

    The party also promised a Satyajit Ray Award on the lines of Academy Award and take the Kolkata International Film Festival few notches higher.

    The BJP also promised a seventh pay commission implementation for state government employees and 33 percent reservation for women in state government jobs.

    Other than reservation and free education for women, the promise-list announced to increase widow pension to Rs 3,000 from Rs 1,000 and set up 12 battalion comprising women only.

    Political observers in Bengal said the announcement of 33 percent reservation for women in state government jobs and a free ride in state transports is aimed to woo the women electorates who share half stake of the state’s total electorates.

    Promising to act tough on infiltration, the BJP promised “strictest border security”.

    The party also promised free KG to PG education for all women and free travel for them in public transport.

    It promised to build new AIIMS in North Bengal, Jungle Mahal and Sunderban regions, besides toilets and clean drinking water for every family.

    Shah said that when the BJP forms the government in West Bengal, people would not have to go to court for organising Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja.

    “Bengal has turned into one of the most unsafe states for women. Inaction for years has broken the dreams of the youth and has stopped the flow of employment.”

    Hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee government, Shah said an official of director general of police will head the anti-corruption branch which will probe into all cases of corruption during TMC’s regime and brought all the accused to the court of law.

    “Besides, an anti-corruption cell be opened in the chief minister’s office and complainants can directly reach to the CM,” he said.

    In the poll manifesto, the party also promised a Rs 20,000 crore Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Fund for the infrastructure development of schools, and five universities at par with IITs and IIMs.

    The party said that to transform Kolkata into an international city, it will set up a Kolkata Development Fund worth Rs 22,000 crore and also ensure that the metropolis becomes a UNESCO Heritage City.

    The party said that Kolkata will be established as a center for financial services, and promised free electricity upto 200 units for domestic consumption in the city.

    The BJP further promied to extend Kolkata Metro services to Serampore, Dhulagarh and Kalyani.

    “We have decided that we will clear the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA in the first cabinet meeting itself, besides approving the Ayushman Bharat scheme for the benefit of the poor,” Shah said.

    Alleging Bengal reached the peak in the segment of political violence, Shah announced a special investigation team will be set up to investigate the political killings, and victim families will be given Rs 25 lakh compensation irrespective of their political allegiance.

    The Centre is yet to frame the rules for implementing the CAA, which has faced strong opposition from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who took to the streets against the law in December 2019.

    Shah also announced, “The refugee families living here for 70 years will be granted citizenship. Every refugee family will be given Rs 10,000 annually for five years through direct benefit transfer (DBT).”

    He said that his party would work towards building a safe Bengal, an “appeasement-free Bengal” and an infiltration-free state, if voted to power.

    “We will bring back the Bengal that made the entire nation proud,” Shah said.

    “You have given time to Congress, over 30 years to Communists and ten years to TMC. Give us five years to build a Sonar Bangla,” he said, urging the people to vote for the BJP.

    If voted to power, the BJP would set up a special task force to look into corruption charges regarding Amphan relief, sand mining and illegal coal mining, Shah said.

    The party will put an end to institutionalisation of corruption, criminalisation of politics and politicisation of administration, the senior BJP leader said.

    Allocating Rs 1,000 crore for promoting tourism, the manifesto said nine tourist circuits will be developed in the state.

    “Don’t worry about the funding for these projects, it will cost not more than 15 per cent of the state budget,” Shah claimed.

    The BJP also promised to raise the daily wage of tea garden workers to Rs 350, and a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to Matua Dalpatis.

    The party said ‘Annapurna Canteen’ will be set up across the state to provide subsidised cooked food three times a day at Rs 5 per meal, besides subsidised ration will be provided through PDS — rice or wheat at Rs 1 per kg, dal at Rs 30 per kg, salt at Rs 3 per kg and sugar at Rs 5 per kg.

    Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee criticised the promises, calling it a “jumla-laden manifesto”.

    “A party that cannot find sufficient candidates for all 294 seats in Bengal is now faltering to find local leadership for such key events,” he said, taking a dig at the BJP as Shah released the manifesto.

    TMC MP Saugata Roy said many promises in the manifesto were “poor copies” of the announcements made by the TMC.

    “They have copied our already popular Maa Canteen which gives the public nutritious lunch at Rs 5. Even the sops for girl students is derived from our internationally acclaimed projects,” he claimed.

    “Unlike Mamata Banerjee, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah don’t follow up on their promises. And all said and done there is no possibility of BJP coming to power in Bengal,” Roy added, questioning the party over attacks on women in UP where it has a government.

    On the Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar Fund announcement, he said, “No one has forgotten the incident of vandalising the bust of social reformer in 2019.”

    CPI(M) leader Md Salim also criticised the manifesto, saying the promises made are nothing but “lies”.

    Elections to the 294-member state Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

    (With PTI and ENS Inputs)

  • ‘Will work under Modiji and Shahji’: Suvendu’s father and TMC MP Sisir Adhikari joins BJP 

    By PTI
    EGRA: Veteran TMC MP Sisir Adhikari – father of BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari – joined the BJP here on Sunday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party.

    The patriarch of the Adhikari family — which wields considerable influence in Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district — said that he had to work really hard to rise through the ranks in the TMC, but the treatment meted out to him and his sons, of late, forced him to switch camp.

    “The way our family was driven out (of TMC) will be forever written in history. We will rise against all political attacks and atrocities in Bengal. We will work under Modiji and Amit Shahji,” the Lok Sabha MP said, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

    Earlier in the day, Adhikari had asserted that his son Suvendu, locked in a fierce battle with Chief Minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, will bag the seat at ease.

    “Suvendu will win the elections by a huge margin. The TMC will be wiped out of East Midnapore,” he told reporters.

    Shah addressed a public meeting at Egra during the day.

  • Shah slams Mamata’s ‘appeasement politics’, says no curb to be imposed on festivals if BJP wins polls

    By PTI
    EGRA: Asserting that the BJP does not believe in vote-bank politics, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a jibe at the TMC over its “appeasement policies”, said on Sunday that his party, if voted to power in Bengal, will ensure no curb is imposed on Durga and Saraswati puja.

    Shah, during a rally here in Purba Medinipur district, reaffirmed that the BJP will build ‘sonar Bangla’ over the next five years, propelled by the party’s double-engine government at the Centre and the state.

    “Under the TMC rule, school teachers in Bengal were beaten up for organising ‘Saraswati puja’. The court had to intervene to ensure Durga puja is celebrated in the state. Do you want this government? “The BJP, after coming to power, will see to it that Durga puja and Saraswati puja are held without hindrance. No one will be stopped from organising any religious festival,” the home minister stated.

    At a high school at Dhulagarh in Howrah district, Saraswati Puja could not be organised in 2017 following communal violence in the area.

    The West Bengal government imposed restrictions on Durga idol immersion in 2017 on the Vijaya Dashami day and said no immersion would be allowed the next day, when Muharram would have been observed, to prevent any untoward incident.

    The Calcutta High Court later cancelled the order.

    He accused the Mamata Banerjee government of “encouraging infiltration” in Bengal.

    Belittling Banerjee’s monthly compensation promise of Rs 500 for every underprivileged person in the general category, Shah also sought to know if TMC leaders would seek “cut-money or commission” from the beneficiaries.

    “The TMC men demand their share for every 5 anna (paise). I wonder if those close to ‘bhaipo’ (CM’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee) would seek cut-money before doling out Rs 500 every month to the general-category residents,” he said.

    The home minister also cautioned people against violence and aggression during the elections.

    “You (people) know very well what all happened during the panchayat polls in 2018. No one was allowed to exercise franchise. Votes were replaced with bombs,” he pointed out.

    Claiming that over 130 BJP functionaries have been murdered in Bengal in the recent times, he said “We will hunt down the killers from under the ground.”

    Shah also said that his party, if allowed to form government in Bengal, will implement the seventh pay commission, “as we know this has been a long-standing demand of state government employees here.”

    Alleging that TMC chief wants her nephew and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee to be the next chief minister”, Shah said, “Do you want that or do you wish to live in ‘Sonar Bangla’ that PM Narendra Modi has promised to build.”

    In a bid to woo the women voters, he assured 33 per cent reservation for them in government services.

    “Our government will give farmers Rs 10,000 every year, in addition to the funds provided by the Centre. Also, fishermen will be given Rs 6,000 each. People will get health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Mamata didi could never dish out such benefits,” Shah added.

    In the last 10 years, TMC’s ill-governance has started a dark chapter in Bengal’s history,” he alleged.

    In the poll manifesto, the party also promised a Rs 20,000 crore Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Fund for the infrastructure development of schools, and five universities at par with IITs and IIMs.

    The party said that to transform Kolkata into an international city, it will set up a Kolkata Development Fund worth Rs 22,000 crore and also ensure that the metropolis becomes a UNESCO Heritage City.

    “We have decided that we will clear the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the first cabinet meeting itself, besides approving the Ayushman Bharat scheme for the benefit of the poor,” Shah said.

    The party further promised that every refugee family will be given Rs 10,000 per year for five years through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

    Shah said that his party would work towards building a safe Bengal, an “appeasement-free Bengal” and an infiltration-free state, if voted to power.

    “We will bring back the Bengal that made the entire nation proud,” he said.

    “You have given time to Congress, over 30 years to Communists and ten years to TMC. Give us five years to build a Sonar Bangla,” he said, urging the people to vote for the BJP.

  • Amit Shah to release BJP’s manifesto for West Bengal on March 21

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Friday said the party’s manifesto for the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly polls will be released by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 21 in Kolkata.

    “BJP manifesto for West Bengal Assembly elections will be released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 21 in Kolkata,” Vijayvargiya said.

    West Bengal is witnessing a high-octane battle between the BJP and the TMC for the upcoming Assembly polls.

    Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • ‘What about the agony of families of BJP workers killed in TMC rule’: Amit Shah to Mamata on her injury

    By PTI
    RANIBANDH: Wishing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee speedy recovery, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that she is in pain due to her injury and wondered whether she could feel the agony of the families of BJP workers killed during TMC’s rule in the state.

    Shah, who was addressing a poll rally here, said 130 BJP workers were killed by TMC goons.

    He hit out at the TMC for not doing enough for the development of the minorities and introducing cut money culture in the state.

    He promised that if BJP is voted to power in West Bengal in the ooming Assembly poll it will implement the seventh Pay Commission for the state government employees.

    “Didi (elder sister) when you were hurt in your leg you felt pain. I wish you speedy recovery. But what about the pain of the mothers of 130 BJP activists who were killed by TMC goons? Did you ever try to feel their pain?” he said at the rally.ALSO READ | Bengal was once India’s leader now entangled in ‘goondaraj’: Amit ShaH”You never felt the pain of these people. They will give you a befitting reply while casting their votes in the assembly poll,” he added.

    Banerjee was injured at Nandigram on March 10 while campaigning after filing her nomination for the seat where she will take on her former protege and now BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari.

    Ridiculing Banerjee’s allegations of an attack on her at Nandigram that left her injured in the leg, Shah said as per the EC’s report there was no attack on her.

    “The EC is saying that there was no attack. But she is saying there was a conspiracy. The TMC is saying there was an attack. Only God knows who is speaking the truth,” he said. Shah raked up the incident to mock Banerjee in his virtual address at a rally in tribal Jhargram.

    Shah said, “I was going to come here for campaigning. Unfortunately my helicopter developed a snag and I couldn’t come to see you. But I won’t call it a conspiracy”.ALSO READ | ‘BJP will bring back Sonar Bangla’: Amit Shah tells voters ahead of WB Assembly elections

    His comments come after BJP leaders from Bengal accused the TMC supremo of enacting a drama to seek sympathy votes in the upcoming assembly polls.

    Banerjee was injured on March 10 and was admitted to SSKM hospital in Kolkata.

    She was discharged on March 12.

    Shah hit out at the TMC government for not doing enough for the development of minorities and said the Mamata Banerjee dispensation had indulged in corruption in tribal welfare schemes.

    “TMC seeks cut money even for giving a tribal certificate. We will ensure the land rights of the tribals. The special focus will be on education, health and drinking water for the tribals in the area. We will also mention it in our manifesto,” he said.

    In his virtual address Shah highlighted designated central schemes for the tribal communities which the state government did not implement properly.

    “Special stress will be given to the education of tribal students. We will provide 50 er cent financial assistance those among them who score above 70 per cent,” he said.

    Alleging that the TMC government has introduced “cut money culture” in West Bengal, Shah said BJP will change the situation in the state.

    “This is BJP’s fight to make Bengal ‘Sonar Bangla’. Our goal is to ensure that there is a change in West Bengal’s situation, a change in the situation of the poor of the state. Our aim is to end infiltration and also transform Bengal,” he said.

    The top BJP leader alleged that TMC is indulging in appeasement politics.

    “Whenever there is a festive occasion such as Durga Puja, you all have to go to court to take permission for the processions under Mamata Ji’s rule. You all have to change this situation,” Shah said at the rally.

    Reaching out to West Bengal government employees and said the seventh Pay Commission will be implemented in the state if the saffron party is voted to power.

    Ranibandh is a part of the western district of Bankura which has a significant tribal population, crucial to any party’s electoral success.