Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 | Rahul's poll guarantees in Himachal, Karnataka came a cropper: Amit Shah in Gurugram's Badshahpur

'Rahul Baba and company cannot undertake development' and it is the double-engine government that will ensure Haryana's development, Amit Shah said.

Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress in poll-bound Haryana on Sunday, alleging that Rahul Gandhi's election guarantees have come a cropper in states, such as Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, where the grand old party is in power.

Addressing a poll rally in Gurugram's Badshahpur, Shah said the Congress makes tall promises at the time of elections.

But it does not fulfil those promises, he said, adding that Gandhi's guarantees have "come a cropper" in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not make a promise that it cannot honour, Shah said.

"Rahul baba and company cannot undertake development" and it is the "double-engine" government that will ensure Haryana's development, he said, referring to the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in the state.

"We will secure the country's borders, we will protect reservations and never allow Article 370 (of the Constitution) to return," he said.

After Badshahpur, Shah addressed two more rallies at Nangal Chaudhary in Mahendragarh and Indri in Karnal district.

He said he has sensed the "atmosphere" across Haryana and asserted that the BJP is set to score a "hat-trick" of poll victories in the state.

The Congress can neither secure the country nor make it developed, Shah said, targeting the opposition party over corruption, casteism, nepotism and appeasement.

He dubbed the Congress as "anti-poor", "anti-Dalits", "anti-youngsters" and "anti-farmers".

As some BJP rebels are contesting the election as independents, Shah told the gathering at Indri to cast their votes on "lotus" (the saffron party's poll symbol).

Referring to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill at Badshahpur, he said, "You have a problem with the current legislation on the Waqf Board. We will amend it in the Winter Session of Parliament."

Several opposition leaders alleged last month that the Centre's Waqf Bill aims at creating a divide in the society and said they would strongly oppose it.

Campaigning for the party candidates in the Gurugram region, including Rao Narbir Singh from Badshahpur, Shah said every 10th soldier in the Army comes from Haryana.

From former prime minister Indira Gandhi to Manmohan Singh, the Congress did not fulfil the demand of "One Rank, One Pension" and it was the Narendra Modi government that implemented it in 2015, the home minister said.

Lashing out at Gandhi over the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment, Shah described the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as a "lying machine" and alleged that he has claimed that Agniveers would not get jobs.

"Rahul baba, who are you trying to instigate? You did not implement OROP," he said.

The Agnipath scheme has been introduced to ensure a youthful profile of the armed forces, Shah said.

With the Congress consistently targeting the BJP over the issue, Shah told the gatherings, "Do not hesitate to send your children to the Army. Haryana and the Centre will give pensionable jobs to every single Agniveer (those who are not absorbed in the force)."

"After five years, you will not find even one Agniveer without a pensionable job," he said, adding that they will be given permanent jobs in the CRPF, ITBP, BSF, SSB and Haryana government.

With Navratri starting from October 3, Shah said, "On October 5, while casting your votes, you have to give an answer to Rahul baba and his party as to who insults Shakti (the goddess)."

He alleged that the Congress is "blinded by appeasement".

Targeting the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana, Shah said the Congress regimes used to undertake the development of one caste and one district.

"Not just Rohtak, we undertook equitable development of Haryana and not just one caste, but the work of all 36 'birdaris' (sections) was done," he said.

"Dealers, dalals (middlemen) and damads (sons-in-law) used to rule during the Hooda government's time and corruption was rampant. Several acres of land in Gurugram were destroyed to make Delhi's 'damad' wealthy. The Congress took the land of farmers for peanuts to give it to its 'damad'. And today, the party is talking about farmers," Shah said.

He said he has seen on WhatsApp that a Congress candidate is asking people to vote for him and he will give 50 jobs to each of his supporters. "How will he do so? Are there rules or not?" he asked the gatherings.

He claimed that some other Congress candidates are saying if their party comes to power, they will first build houses for themselves, then for their supporters and then for those associated with the party.

"Whenever the Congress comes to power, jobs are given on the basis of 'kharchi' and 'parchi' (cash for jobs), whereas the BJP government gave 1.5 lakh jobs purely on the basis of merit," the home minister said, adding that if the party retains power in Haryana, five lakh jobs would be given in five years.

Shah also took a dig at the Congress over its infighting in Haryana, saying everyone in the opposition party wants to become the chief minister.

"The situation in the Congress is like 'ek anar, sau bimar'. While Hooda says he will be the chief minister, his son (Deepender Hooda) tells his father that he has grown old and he should let him become the chief minister.

"Kumari Selja is saying she will become the chief minister. Selja sister, your candidates did not get tickets, how will they make you the chief minister?" he asked, while adding that Randeep Surjewala is close to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and he is also eyeing the top post.

"Why are they fighting? They will neither get a majority and nor their government will be formed. It is the BJP that is returning to power," he asserted.

Shah alleged that "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans were raised at Congress rallies at Hathin, Thanesar and Palwal.

"I want to ask Rahul baba, why are you silent when your party leaders and workers raise Pakistan Zindabad slogans? Why don't you stop them? The Congress has been blinded by appeasement," he said.

Shah claimed that the Congress wants to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, adding, "Rahul baba's three generations cannot bring it back."

"Kashmir is our own and till the time the Modi government is there, only the tricolour will flutter there," he said.

"The brave soldiers of Haryana have made several sacrifices for Kashmir's security and we will not let that go to waste," Shah said.

He alleged that terrorism and Naxalism flourished during the Congress's rule in the country because of the party's politics of appeasement.

Claiming that when the Congress was in power in Haryana, it only used to procure wheat and paddy at the minimum support price (MSP), he said the BJP government has decided that 24 crops will be procured at the MSP.

Referring to Gandhi's recent remarks that the Congress would think of doing away with reservations when "India is a fair place", Shah said till the time the BJP is there, it will not allow any party to even touch the quotas in jobs and education.

"The Congress has been anti-backward classes. The Kakasaheb Kalelkar Commission report never became public. The Mandal Commission report was suppressed by Indira Gandhi. When we brought it, Rajiv Gandhi opposed it. It is under Modiji's rule that whether it is the NEET, medical admissions or central schools, there is a 27 per cent reservation for backward classes," he said.

The home minister pointed out that there are 27 ministers from backward classes in the Union cabinet, including two from Haryana.

Modi also accorded constitutional status to the OBC commission, he said.

The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.