If INDIA bloc comes to power, it will put Babri lock at Ram temple: Amit Shah

Hitting out at the INDIA bloc, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said if the coalition of Opposition parties comes to power after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, it will put a "Babri" lock at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

He accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing Pakistan's agenda and said the Congress leader would be defeated in Raebareli after which he should settle down in Italy, the only place left for him.

At a rally in support of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, the BJP candidate from Lakhimpur Kheri, Shah accused the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of defaming the saffron party and Narendra Modi by saying if the prime minister gets 400 seats in the ongoing election, reservation will be done away with.

Want 400 seats to prevent Congress from bringing back Article 370 and locking Ram Temple: PM Modi

Referring to SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav's statement in which he said the Ram temple issue is "bekar' (useless), Mr. Shah said, "Ram Gopal says the temple is useless. Remember me, though it is not going to happen, if the opposition parties come to power, they will put a Babri naam ka tala (Babri lock) at the Ram temple."

He accused the Congress of stalling the Ram temple issue for 70 years and said, "When you made Modi the prime minister for the second time, he not only won the legal dispute involving the Ram Janmabhoomi but also performed the bhoomi puja (groundbreaking ceremony) of the Ram temple and its pran pratishtha (consecration) was held in January."

Claiming that Opposition parties did not attend the consecration ceremony of the temple as they were afraid of their vote bank, the BJP leader said, "All of you know who comprises their vote bank. Uttar Pradesh will never support those who shy away from Lord Ram's work."

On the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Mr. Shah said, "Modi has brought a law to give citizenship to those Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains who came to India from Pakistan. A lot of them in Kheri did not have citizenship. (Congress leader) Rahul (Gandhi) and (SP president) Akhilesh (Yadav) say they will withdraw the CAA. Now, no one can do that."

Slamming the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), he said, "If the INDI alliance gets the majority, who will be its Prime Minister? Will Sharad Pawar, Mamata (Banerjee) Didi, (M.K.) Stalin, Akhilesh or Rahul become the Prime Minister? It does not even have a prime ministerial candidate. It neither has a leader, nor a policy nor determination."

"After the first three phases of the Lok Sabha polls, Modiji has crossed 190 seats... In the fourth phase, under Modiji's leadership, we are strongly heading towards 400 seats, while the SP, BSP and Congress have been wiped out," Mr. Shah said.

He alleged, "The Congress, SP and BSP are defaming BJP and Modi ji by spreading false propaganda. They are saying that if Modi ji gets 400 seats then the reservation will end."

"When Congress got a majority in Karnataka, five per cent reservation was given to Muslims. It went from the OBC quota. In Andhra Pradesh, the reservation was given to Muslims. There too, reservation for backward classes was cut. If BJP gets majority then we will end the anti-constitutional Muslim reservation and give it to the backward classes." Attacking Rahul Gandhi, the Union Home Minister said, "He talks of eradicating poverty in one stroke... Your grandmother (former prime minister Indira Gandhi) imposed Emergency, father (former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi) re-implemented triple talaq and your party has snatched away the reservation of backward communities."

Amit Shah takes jibe at Congress, says BJP not afraid of Muslim vote bank

"The Congress Party and its cronies — the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh — are anti-backwards people. All backward class people should understand this," he said.

The senior BJP leader reiterated that PM Modi has ended terrorism in the country. He also mentioned the surgical strike in Pakistan and the renovation of the Kashi corridor and Somnath temple as the achievements of the BJP government.

In Hardoi, Mr. Shah continued his attack on Mr. Gandhi and said, "From Amethi, he went to Wayanad and now is in Raebareli where he is going to be defeated. Now he should go to Italy and settle down there as it is the only one place left for him."

"Rahul Gandhi took out Bharat Jodo Yatra. After elections, he will have to take out Congress Dhoondo Yatra (Find Congress march)," he said and accused the INDIA bloc parties of being involved in ₹12 lakh crore scams.

On the Opposition's attack on alleged misuse of ED and CBI, he said, "I want to tell Rahul (Gandhi) and Akhilesh (Yadav), if you do corruption you will be caught and no one can stop this."

"Modi remained CM and PM for the past 23 years but no allegation even of 25 paise was made against him," he said.