Amit Shah takes 'foreign' T-shirt jibe at Rahul

Jaipur: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday targeted Rahul Gandhi over the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', saying the Congress leader had once said India is not a nation and is now out to "unite" the country wearing a "foreign-make" T-shirt.

Addressing the Rajasthan BJP booth functionaries, he also hit out at the state government over a host of issues, including the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Muslim extremists and the Karauli violence, and alleged the Congress can only practice politics of vote bank and appeasement.

"The Congress organised planned riots in Chabbra, Bhilwara, Karauli, Jodhpur, Chhittorgarh, Nohar, Mewat, Malpura and Jaipur," he alleged in his address to the BJP event in Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's home turf of Jodhpur.

Taking aim at Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, "I want to remind Rahul baba and other Congress members about his speech given in Parliament. Rahul baba had said India is not a nation. Rahul baba, in which book have you read this? This is the nation for which lakhs and lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives." Rahul Gandhi has gone to connect Bharat, but I think that he needs to study Indian history first, Shah said.

"The one who said India is not a nation is now on a yatra to unite India wearing a foreign T-shirt," he said, doubling down on the BJP attack at the Congress leader for wearing a Burberry T-shirt, reportedly costing over Rs 41,000. He claimed the Congress cannot work for development. "It can only work for appeasement and vote bank politics."

The Congress, he said, will be left with nothing after the BJP forms government in Rajasthan and Chhatttisgarh, the only two states where it is in power on its own. The two states are scheduled to elect new assemblies next year. At the BJP meeting -- the Booth Adyaksh Sankalp Mahasabha -- Shah was also joined by former chief minister Vasundhra Raje and state BJP president Satish Poonia.

"The Gehlot government," Shah said, "cannot do development work...cannot provide electricity to farmers and employment to youths. They can only do politics of appeasement and vote bank." He referred to the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur in June, the April communal violence at Karauli that left 35 injured and also attacked the government over "banning" celebration of Hindu festivals and over the demolition of temple in Alwar. "I am here in Jodhpur to remind you (people) of the promises made by you (Ashok Gehlot) -- loan waiver in 10 days; Rs 3,500 unemployment allowance; and 20 lakh employment to youth. Have you got it?" he asked.

Shah also said the Centre reduced taxes on petrol and diesel, after which BJP-ruled states brought down the Value Added Tax, but the Gehlot government did not do so. Fuel and electricity are most expensive in Rajasthhan today, he said. "Who is responsible for this? Oust the Gehlot government and our government here, will reduce tax and tariff of electricity," he said.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's works, he asked people to give all the 25 Lok Sabha seats from the state to the BJP in 2024 parliamentary polls. He also asked them to bless the BJP with a two-thirds majority in the assembly polls in 2023. "The elections for both the states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are due in 2023.

If BJP governments are formed in these two states, then the Congress will be left with nothing." Shah also compared the Congress government's policies and works with those of the Vasundhra Raje's dispensation, and mentioned her government's schemes such as the Bhamashah scheme, and electricity subsidy to farmers.

Raje said the Gehlot government has completely failed on the law and order front in Rajasthan, and claimed the state's debt has increased to Rs 4.72 lakh crore.

"Corruption and Congress are one, nothing happens without money here. We need to oust this Ravan-like government and form a BJP government in 2023," she said.

BJP state president Poonia also tried to corner the state government on "deteriorating" law and order situation, and unemployment. Before visiting Jodhpur, Shah offered prayers at the famous Tanot Mata temple in Jaisalmer and laid the foundation stone and performed Bhoomi Pujan of Tanot Mandir Complex Project.

The temple had survived intense bombardment by the Pakistani Army near it in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. Several unexploded bombs are at display in the temple.