After three phases, confident of BJP forming next govt with full majority: Amit Shah

PTI, Apr 24, 2019, 11:54 AM IST

Varanasi: BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday said that after three phases of voting in the Lok Sabha polls he is confident that his party will win the elections with a huge margin and form a government with full majority.

Shah visited Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and inaugurated a media centre of the party. He also opened the election office of PM Modi at Mehmoorganj.

“Looking at the voting in the first three phases, I believe that the BJP is going to form the next government with full majority,” Shah told reporters at the launch of the media centre.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its ally will perform far better than the SP-BSP alliance and would win most of the seats of the state, he said.

He said the BJP’s tally would be even better than the 2014 Lok Sabha election’s.

On the question of possibility of Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contesting the Lok Sabha elections against Modi from Varanasi, Shah said that in a democracy, anyone can contest polls from anywhere in the country.

“We have declared our candidate and PM Modi is contesting elections again from Varanasi,” he said. He said Modi will hold a grand roadshow in the city on April 25 and file his nomination papers the next day.

He said senior BJP leaders, parliamentary board members and NDA allies, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be present, among others, during the filing of the nomination papers.

On the question of giving Lok Sabha ticket to 2008 Malegaon blast accused Pragya Thakur, Shah said she was jailed on “false” charges “fabricated” by the Congress party.

Shah said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should apologise for “Hindu terror” and “Bhagwa terror” phrases.

Shah said the Congress released LeT terrorists from jail for vote bank politics and alleged that it jailed innocent people on false terror cases. It accused the party of sidestepping national security for vote bank politics.

He also said those who carried out corruption to the tune of Rs “12 lakh crore”, would not be spared and there place is in jail.

“When did you meet Rahul Gandhi, why are you speaking his language?” Shah said when he was asked about the PM’s ‘nuclear-button’ statement, and also a question on alleged “harassment” of political opponents by the BJP.

“In 2014, PM Modi had said that those who carried out corruption and scams to the tune of Rs 12 lakh crore, they will not be spared and their place is in jails,” Shah told the press conference. “Will they be spared and not be sent in jail? It’s the public money and the public wants to know about each penny.”

He said the BJP never indulged in “politically motivated” harassment of its political opponents.