Home Minister Amit Shah Friday slammed the Congress and the Opposition for their commentary on the state of democracy in the country, saying that contrary to their allegations, it is not the country’s democracy but their dynastic politics is under threat. “The opposition parties claim that democracy is under threat. I want to tell them that your family is in danger and not democracy. The idea of dynastic politics and not the idea of India is under threat. Not democracy but the autocracy of your family is in danger,” Shah said. Inaugurating the Kaushambi festival-2023 in Uttar Pradesh, Shah took a jibe at the Opposition for disrupting Parliament’s proceedings over former MP Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, rueing that never in the history of India’s parliamentary democracy had the Budget passed without any discussion. “The Parliament session ended on Thursday and it was for the first time in the history of independence that the budget session ended without a single sitting or debate. The opposition leaders did not allow the Parliament to function just because Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha,” Shah said.
On Thursday, Parliament adjourned sine die minus any detailed discussion on the demands for grants amid acrimonious exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. “I want to tell Rahul one thing every citizen of the country must obey the law and you were the MP. You should have challenged the conviction and should have fought in court. But they wasted the time of the Parliament which the people of the country will never forgive,” he said. Shah said Rahul’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha was as per law, which prescribes that whoever is convicted will lose his or her membership. So far 17 MPs and MLAs have lost their memberships. Rahul was disqualified on March 24 after a Surat Court convicted him in a defamation case. Shah also took a dig at the former Congress MP for belittling the country’s image outside the country. The Home Minister slammed the Opposition also for obstructing the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and accused them of lingering with the Article 370 abrogation issue. Shah, however, exuded confidence about BJP’s getting more than 300 seats in the 2024 general election which would ensure a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre.
Lok Sabha has 543 seats in which BJP is the single-largest political party now with 302 seats. UP sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha. Shah said the superlative achievement of the Prime Minister across various areas including security and welfare of the poor would ensure that the lotus would be in full bloom once again. The Prime Minister has made the country prosperous and enhanced the country’s respect in the world arena. Criticising Congress over its “Your grave will be dug” remark against Prime Minister Modi, Shah said, “I want to tell Congress people that whether it’s Sonia Gandhi or Rahul or whoever else has abused Modi, the lotus has been strengthened more by the people.” Politically-sensitive Uttar Pradesh plays a crucial role in national politics. In the 2014 general election, BJP wiped the Opposition out from UP. Shah was then the election-in-charge for the party in the state. In the 2019 general election also, BJP and its ally got 64 seats. The people of Uttar Pradesh have reposed faith in the BJP in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections as well. Shah exhorted the people of Uttar Pradesh to vote en masse in favour of the BJP in the 2024 election.
