Udupi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Udupi as a part of his campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka.
He addressed a large gathering at Katapady in Udupi District outside Udupi city.
During his address, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Indian Constitution, as written by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, did not include provisions for religious-based reservation. As a result, the BJP Government eliminated the four percent reservation previously granted to Muslims and instead distributed it equally among Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Shah then criticised Congress leaders, asking whose reservation they would scrap in the future if they reintroduced Muslim reservation after being voted into power.
Shah further mentioned that the BJP Government in Karnataka had increased reservation for SC, ST, OBC, and Lingayat among other communities. He asked the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D. K. Shivakumar to clarify which community will lose reservation if Muslim reservation is reintroduced. Shah confidently asserted that the BJP will form the Government in Karnataka and there will be no Muslim reservation allowed in the state.
Amit Shah criticised the election campaigns of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, terming them as mere “electoral tourists”. He accused them of trying to make Karnataka their ATM once again.
Home Minister went on to criticise the All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, claiming that while the entire world is lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge was comparing him to a venomous snake.
Shah then criticised the Congress’ guarantee card campaign in Assam, Gujarat, Tripura, Manipur, and UP, adding that they failed miserably in those states. He further alleged that the Congress had ignored the issue of Sri Ram Temple in Ayodhya for the last 70 years. Shah credited Modi for bringing the court’s judgment and initiating the construction of the temple, which would be completed by 2024.
Amit Shah also urged the people not to give a single seat to Congress in the coastal region, which he claimed is a BJP stronghold. Shah advised people not to vote for JD (S), as he considers it a B Team of Congress, and a vote to JD (S) is in-turn a vote to Congress.
Shah reminded that the Popular Front of India (PFI), an anti-national organisation responsible for the murder of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru, was banned by the Modi Government. He further accused the Congress Government led by Siddaramaiah of withdrawing the cases registered against the PFI. Shah criticised the Congress for compromising national security for the sake of vote bank politics.
Shah asked people to choose the efficient “Double Engine” Government of the BJP led governments instead of the “Reverse Gear” Government of the Rahul Gandhi led Congress. He said that electing the Congress would mean a return of PFI, while the BJP in Karnataka will ensure the continuation of the Modi Government in 2024.
As scheduled, Amit Shah left to Siddapura Town in Byndoor Assembly constituency where he conducted a roadshow. In his address to the gathering, he claimed that only the BJP can ensure safety of Coastal Karnataka.
While campaigning for Gururaj Gantihole, the BJP candidate, Shah highlighted that the BJP Government had opened an office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru. He also accused the previous Congress Government of withdrawing cases against the activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) while in power.