Reject Congress, Chhattisgarh will be free from Naxalism if BJP is elected: Amit Shah – Firstpost

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday accused the Congress of encouraging Naxalism and said incidents of Naxal violence had reduced by 52 per cent during the nine years of rule of the Narendra government Modi.

Addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur, where elections are being held, Shah urged people to bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in the state currently ruled by the Congress, promising that his party would free the entire state from the Naxal menace.

He claimed that if the Congress returns to power in Chhattisgarh, the money sent by the Center for State Development would be “diverted to Delhi through the Congress ‘ATM'”.

Polling for 90 Chhattisgarh Assembly seats is expected to be held in two phases on November 7 and 17 and votes will be counted on December 3.

Shah said the people of Chhattisgarh will celebrate Diwali three times: once on the festival day, a second time when the BJP is voted to power on December 3 and a third time when the construction of the Ram temple is completed in January, as Chhattisgarh is the ‘nanihal’ of Lord Ram (the place of Lord Ram’s maternal grandparents).

The rally was held in Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of Bastar, ahead of the filing of nominations by BJP candidates in three constituencies of Bastar.

The Bastar region was once considered the worst affected by Naxalism and the threat still persists in places. “Elect the BJP to power in the state, we will make the entire state free from the menace,” Shah said.

“In 9 years of Modi government, incidents of (Naxal) violence have reduced by 52 percent, deaths (in Maoist violence) by 70 percent, civilian deaths by 68 percent, while the (number de) Naxal-affected districts have declined by 62 percent,” the Union minister said.

“(Prime Minister) Modi ji has done a lot of work in the interest of tribals across the country. Besides protecting their jal (water), jungle and zameen (land), the Modi government has strived to ensure security, respect and inclusive development of the tribes,” he said.

Urging people to vote for the BJP, Shah said, “You have two options: one is the Congress which encourages Naxalism while the other is the BJP which eliminates Naxalism.”

The Congress sent millions of rupees in corruption to Delhi Darbar, while the BJP provided gas cylinders, toilets, drinking water, health facilities, food grains and houses to millions of poor people.