JOIN USAmit Shah targets Akhilesh with 'pro-Muslim' jibe
Sticking to his party's 'Hindutva' agenda, Union Home Minister and former BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday sought to dub Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav, BJP's main rival in the forthcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, as "pro-Muslim" and said that the latter was 'angry' as the centre had scrapped the 'triple talaq' and also over the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
''Akhilesh is very angry these days...you (people) know why...it's because Modiji scrapped triple talaq and construction of Ram Temple has started in Ayodhya,'' Shah said while addressing a public meeting at Kasganj, about 350 kilometres from Lucknow.
He also said that as many as 700 "communal riots" had taken place during the regime of Akhilesh Yadav. ''Not a single communal riot took place during Yogi Adityanath regime,'' he added.
Shah said that Akhilesh used to "taunt" the BJP on Ram Temple construction and often remarked that the Ram temple would never be constructed. ''We proved him wrong...Kashi Vishwanath Dham is also being beautified,'' Shah said.
The minister also attacked former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that the latter could never gather the courage to hit Pakistan whenever it perpetrated terrorist attacks on Indian soil. ''Modiji taught a lesson to Pakistan with surgical strikes after the Pulwama incident,'' he said.
He also showcased the achievements of the Centre and state government and listed the measures for the welfare of all sections of the society.
Earlier also, Shah and other BJP leaders had sought to paint his rival, especially the SP, as "pro-Muslim" and accused Akhilesh of favouring the minority community. The saffron party leaders also referred to 'kabristan' (graveyard) and 'mosques' to target Akhilesh and other opposition leaders.
The opposition parties have accused the BJP of trying to "polarise" the forthcoming assembly polls by raking up religious issues.
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