‘Who is Rahul Gandhi trying to save with promise to repeal sedition law?’ Amit targets Congress

BJP president Amit Shah questioned Rahul Gandhi again on Wednesday over his party’s promise to repeal the sedition law and amend the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, accusing the Congress president of indulging in vote bank politics.

This was the second time Amit Shah was lashing out at Rahul Gandhi on the two issues after he said on Tuesday that the proposals by the Congress party will bring a smile to terrorists and separatists and lower the morale of the armed forces.

Several Union ministers including Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman have slammed the Congress of “redefining and diluting the idea of national security” and making promises that made “traitors and separatists happy”.

Sitharaman on Wednesday said that Congress’ proposal to amend Afspa was insidious and aimed at weakening the armed forces. The defence minister said its manifesto clearly undermined the armed forces and if implemented would “make the armed forces hands and feet tied so that they cannot function”.

“Rahul should answer who is he trying to save by promising to abolish the sedition law from CrPC (),” Amit Shah said while addressing an election rally in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.

Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2019: Jaitley, Swaraj lead BJP charge, say Cong diluted national security

“Is Rahul trying to save those who shouted the slogans Bharat Tere Tukde Honge Hazaar inJNU? Is he trying to save those who want to break this country by including the promise of abolishing sedition law in Congress poll manifesto released on Tuesday?” he asked.

“The Congress should not stoop so low for vote bank politics. There are other issues for politics,” he said.

Shah also attacked Gandhi for his poll alliance with National Conference’s Omar Abdullah’s who on Tuesday “demanded a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir state.”

“Gandhi is standing with Abdullah and his party who demands a separate PM for Kashmir. He is standing with Abdullah whose party leaders raise slogans of Pakistan Zindabad. He should come forward and answer the public if he agrees with Abdullah’s statement,” Amit Shah said.

Also read: Omar defends statement on J&K wazir-e-azam, asks PM Modi to study history

Citing the Congress party’s promise to remove AFSPA in its election manifesto, Shah also lashed out at Gandhi by accusing him of “not wanting the security of army jawans.”

“By promising to do so, Congress is endangering the security of our jawans. I want to say the entire Congress party doesn’t have the calibre to do so. The BJP’s members would bet their lives to stop the Congress from endangering the lives of our jawans,” he said.

He then went on to claim that only the Narendra Modi government an ensure the security of the country and help India grow among the top five economies of the world.

Earlier during his address, he claimed that after the February 14 Pulwama attack it was the Modi government at the Centre to launch the airstrikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot.

“First after doing the surgical strikes, Modi government did the air strikes as revenge to Pulwama attacks which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. Congress would have never done that what the Modi government did,” he said.

He also mocked Gandhi during his address saying that the entire country was celebrating after the IAF airstrikes except for Rahul Gandhi.

“His upset face was similar to only the Pakistani PM,” Shah taunted.

Continuing his attack on Congress party on their promise to alleviate poverty, he said the grand old party has failed to do so in the 60 years of their rule.

“First it was Nehru who promised it, then Indira Gandhi raised a slogan of Gareebi Hatao. Then Rahul Gandhi said the same in English followed by his mother in Italian. And now, again he is making the same false promise. Only Modi government is capable of poverty alleviation,” he added.

During his address, he commended chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat for his development work in the hill state and termed the all-weather road as the “destiny line of Uttarakhand.”

“It would bring tremendous development for the people here and enable easy transport for the pilgrims coming to visit the four shrines collectively known as Char Dhams,” he said.

The five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand will go to polls in the first round of voting on April 11. And, the result will be declared on May 23.