BJP will set a new record in Gujarat, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an exclusive interview to CNN-News18 on Wednesday ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Expressing confidence in BJP’s victory in the run-up to the two-phase Gujarat polls on December 1 and 5, Shah said “the sea of people will tell the entire story of who is going to win.”
The senior BJP leader held a roadshow in Asarwa and addressed a public rally in Mahisagar district. “This time in Gujarat, whether it is a matter of vote percentage or getting seats, BJP will break its old record,” he said. The pair of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will create the best record ever in Gujarat, he said.
Highlighting PM Modi’s efforts to preserve tribal history, Shah said “Post-Independence, it was PM Narendra Modi who worked for preserving the pride and legacy of tribals. It was PM Modi who had in 2021 declared that tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Muda’s anniversary will be celebrated as Adivasi Gaurav Diwas.”
Accusing the Congress of not doing anything to preserve the glorious history of tribals, he said, “Till the Congress was in power, it did not work for preserving the glorious history of tribals. As soon as people made Modi the prime minister, he announced that 10 adivasi museums will be built across the country,” the Union minister was quoted as saying by PTI.
He further referred to the election of Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, as the President of India earlier this year and said the Congress never thought of making anybody from the community the country’s constitutional head during its 65-year rule.
He also hailed the development of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. “Jammu and Kashmir has received the maximum number of tourists since independence. After the removal of Article 370, maximum investment came there,” he said, adding, “democracy was shown on the ground.”
He further said BJP has always moulded itself according to new thinking, and new generations. “Today, Gujarat is number one in many areas including startup and development. That’s why the people of Gujarat and the new generation are also associated with us,” he said.
Voting for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections will be held on Thursday in 89 seats spread across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state where 788 candidates are in the fray.
Apart from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 36 other political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) have also fielded candidates in various seats which will go to polls in the first phase.
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