New PM daily if Opposition wins, says Amit Shah

New Delhi/Lucknow/Kanpur/ Surat: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s two main campaigners — party president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — on Wednesday appealed for a clear majority in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. While Mr Shah sought to enthuse the BJP cadre in Uttar Pradesh by attacking and dismissing the “gathbandhan” as a grouping that will come undone due to clash of egos and aspirations, Mr Modi spoke of the perils of a “hung Parliament”, calling it an “illness”.

Addressing a gathering in Surat, Mr Modi said: “As you all know, India witnessed instability for 30 years due to hung Parliaments as no party received a majority. This had stalled the country’s development. And the country even regressed on some parameters due to that situation. We are progressing today because the people applied their wisdom in casting votes (in 2014 elections). Their votes eradicated that 30-year-old illness called hung Parliament and helped form a full majority government at the Centre.”  

Mr Shah, on the other hand, exhorted the BJP cadre to continue challenging political opponents who promote “casteism, corruption and dynasty” to ensure that the BJP’s win in Lok Sabha elections is such that it “stops the heartbeat” of the Opposition. Calling on party workers to ensure that the party gets 50 per cent votes in every booth to win 74 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, one more than what the party won in UP along with ally Apna Dal in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls,he said, “In the 2014 elections a strong foundation for the BJP was laid, in 2017 a building was built on it and the 2019 election are an opportunity to ‘saffronise’ it.”

Mocking the Opposition parties who have come together to form a “gathbandhan” but haven’t named a joint prime ministerial candidate, Mr Shah said that if at all the Opposition parties manage to form a government, there will a different Prime Minister every day of the week.  

“If the gathbandhan’ (alliance) takes shape, Mayawati will be the Prime Minister on Monday, Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, Mamata (Banerjee) on Wednesday, Sharad Pawar on Thursday, Deve Gowda on Friday and (M.K.) Stalin on Saturday, and Sunday will be a holiday,” Mr Shah told party workers, and added: “They are out to bring change and do not have a leader.”

Addressing booth-level party workers in Lucknow and Kanpur, Mr Shah said, “Their government cannot take the country ahead. We want that a strong government is formed under Modiji, while they want a majboor (helpless) government. Only Modiji can provide a mazboot (strong) government… Narendra Modi is the only one who can give a strong government. They do not want a government which is run by a leader but by a dealer.”

“The BJP has four Bs — ‘Badhta Bharat’ and ‘Banta Bharat’ (an India on the move)... Those who are forming an alliance also have four Bs — ‘bua’ (aunt), ‘bhatija’ (nephew), ‘bhai’ (brother) and ‘behen’ (sister),” he added.

Mr Shah said none of the Congress leaders have the right to raise the Ram Janmabhoomi issue and added, “I have come to tell the people of Uttar Pradesh that the BJP is committed to ensuring that a grand temple is built at Ram Janmabhoomi.”  

Indirectly referring to the Centre’s petition in the Supreme Court to allow the return of the “surplus” land around the site to its owners, he said, “We hope that the issue is resolved at the earliest and Lord Ram is installed in all his grandeur.”