Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Panauti’ comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while holding a press conference in Hyderabad on 25 November. He asserted, “People have reacted in a special way whenever low remarks have been passed against PM Modi. People of Telangana will vote for BJP. All corruption scams will be investigated in Telangana after the BJP government is formed here.”
He noted, “Whenever they have abused PM Modi the public has given them an answer by voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party.” He expressed optimism for the BJP’s performance in the forthcoming state elections, the results of which will be revealed on 3 December. “I am confident that we will form a government in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and do extremely well in Telangana.”
The BJP remarked, “It is a good thing that they gained the knowledge even if it was late,” when asked about the temple hopping of Congress leaders on election day. He also attacked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s government of Telangana. He stated that this election was important for the people of Telangana and the state which was formed after a long struggle. Telangana pride was an important issue and 10 years ago, the revenue was in surplus while now it is in debt.
He charged, “One lakh jobs were promised but the paper was leaked. KCR’s party Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) has done nothing but corruption in ten years and many scams have been perpetrated. Simultaneously, the BJP has kept all of its promises, including those regarding Article 370, Ram Mandir and triple talaq. KCR, on the other hand, solely engages in appeasement politics.”
Will end Muslim reservation
According to the Home Minister, the chief minister grants 4 per cent religious reservation, which is unconstitutional. Muslim reservations would be terminated and transferred to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. He conveyed, “KCR told the media not to publish the name of a Muslim accused if he is caught in communal violence. Petrol will become cheaper if the BJP government is formed in Telangana. We will arrange a trip to Ram temple and Kashi.”
Vote for Congress and Owaisi means support for KCR
“If you vote for Owaisi, it will go to KCR. Every time Owaisi’s MLAs win, they support KCR,” he forewarned and added, “It is the same with the Congress. A Congress vote is a vote for KCR. Congress MLA went and joined BRS. BJP vote is for BJP. BJP and BRS can never be together.” The assembly election is scheduled to be held on November 30 in Telangana.
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Panauti’ remark
On 21 November Congressman Rahul Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s loss in the ODI Cricket World Cup Final. He contended that PM Modi whom he described as “Panauti” (bad omen/unlucky charm) caused the Indian cricket team to lose the final match of the esteemed tournament. He claimed, “Modi comes on TV and says ‘Hindu- Muslim’ and sometimes goes to a cricket match. It is a different matter that the match was lost. Panauti.”
He added, “Our boys were almost winning the World Cup, but the ‘Panauti’ made them lose.” PM Narendra Modi was accompanied by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, which was a scheduled event as part of India’s reformed ‘Cricket Diplomacy.’ Indian side which remained undefeated throughout the championship lost by six wickets in the final encounter with Australia on 19 November in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
