Unlike Rahul who needs holiday every few months, Modi has been working tirelessly: Amit Shah

Sitamarhi/Saran (Bihar): BJP president Amit Shah Sunday charged the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress and its allies with lack of resolve, while in power, to act decisively against terror and take affirmative action in favour of the backward classes and the poor in the unreserved category.

Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Sitamarhi and Saran Lok Sabha segments set to go to polls in the fifth phase of general elections Shah also drew a contrast between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the prime minister has been working “tirelessly for the past 20 years” unlike the Congress president “who needs a prolonged holiday every few months”.

Lambasting the Congress-led UPA for its alleged inadequate response to the beheading of Lance Naik Hemraj six years ago, images of which had gone viral on the social media triggering outrage, Shah said, “When militants backed by Pakistan dared to attack the Uri army camp, we gave a befitting reply with surgical strikes”.

“They did not learn their lessons and attacked the CRPF convoy at Pulwama. Pakistan massed its troops along the borders thinking that it would protect itself against surgical strikes. But our prime minister showed that he is a man with a 56-inch chest and thus came the air strikes that destroyed the terror hideouts in Balakot,” Shah said evoking applause.

As long as the BJP is in power, all anti-national elements will end up behind bars, he insisted.

“Rahul baba has the temerity of saying that if voted to power his party will scrap the sedition law. Let me assure him and his allies, as long as the BJP is in power, anti-national elements will continue ending up behind bars and every bullet fired from terrorists will be retaliated with a mortar shell,” the BJP president said.

He also targeted the Congress and the RJD, which have been alleging that Modi’s claim of belonging to a backward caste was false, asserting that the prime minister understands the pain of the downtrodden.

“The prime minister is not just a pichhda but an ati-pichhda (EBC) and he has shown his empathy for the downtrodden by granting constitutional status to the OBC Commission – a move that was opposed by the UPA.

“Modi also appointed Bhagwan Lal Sahni of Muzaffarpur district as the chairman of the commission after it earned constitutional status, thereby giving our OBC brothers in Bihar the respect that has always been their due,” he said in a deft play of the caste card.

Shah also pointed out no government in the past mustered the courage to take measures for the economically weak section in the unreserved category

“It has always been known that in the unreserved category, many were economically weak and needed help. But no government mustered the courage to take action. Our government did and also effected the required constitutional amendments to ensure that the move withstood judicial scrutiny”.

The BJP chief also said that the jodi (duo) of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had brought Bihar out of the era of lawlessness, asserting that “things have started moving at an unprecedented speed ever since Modi formed the government at the Centre”.

Shah was accompanied by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi at both the rallies.

At Sitamarhi, where he campaigned for JD(U) candidate Sunil Kumar Pintu, those present on the dais included sitting MP Ram Kumar Sharma, who belonged to the RLSP and stood with the party in its decision to sever ties with the NDA a few months ago, but rebelled and announced his support to the BJP-led coalition after he was denied a ticket by party chief Upendra Kushwaha.

At Saran, those present included sitting MP and BJP national spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.