Home Minister Amit Shah Sunday came down heavily on senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for insulting states like Goa, Uttarakhand and others in the Northeast with his “tiny” remark, essentially to convey that these states have very little or no importance on a vast India.
Denouncing Kharge, Shah said these states are important parts of the country and Goa is like a “bindiya” on Bharat Mata’s forehead which enhances its beauty. Kharge had made the “tiny” comment to belittle BJP’s massive wins in these states in recent times.
“When we won in Goa, Uttarakhand and other states in the Northeast, the reaction of Kharge was that these are very small states. Kharge Saheb, these are small states, but they are a very important part of India. Do not forget this. Do not insult these small states…Goa is like a ‘bindiya’ on Bharat Mata’s forehead. The smaller the state, the bigger the responsibility of the Centre to work for their development. That has been the policy of the Modi-led government,” Shah said.
Much to the cheers of the thousands in attendance at Shah’s public meeting in South Goa, BJP’s principal poll strategist said the Centre’s responsibility goes up multi-fold for a small state. He said several steps the Centre has taken for the betterment of the state and improvement of its infrastructure for the last nine years the BJP government in office in Delhi. The annual allocation for the state has improved more than seven times.
Shah was in the coastal state to set the ball rolling for the BJP’s 2024 general election campaign in Goa. The modern-day Chanakya slammed the Congress, which currently holds the South Goa seat, for its misrule and for promoting dynastic politics and corruption among many others that moved the country backwards.
He took potshots at the Congress for its miserable defeats in recent assembly elections in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, despite a high-decibel campaign by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“Rahul Baba went there… campaigned in full swing and Congress was completely wiped out. Under the leadership of PM Modi, in Tripura, we formed a government with the full majority; in Nagaland, 13 of our MLAs were elected again and; in Meghalaya, also, the government was formed with our support,” he said.
Shah also slammed Congress for doing nothing to abrogate Article 370. The Home Minister said when Congress was in power in Goa, only Rs 432 crore was given to Goa annually, but under Modi Ji, over Rs 3,000 crore is being given to Goa annually. Shah also detailed steps the Centre have taken towards Goa’s betterment and improvement of its infrastructure for the last nine years.
While his assurances for a better Goa in the days to come under the double-engine government did assure the audience, Shah also urged them “with folded hands” to give the South Goa seat back to BJP and ensure a third term for Prime Minister Modi. Those present were simply awestruck!
