PM Modi took tough decisions without any confusion: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken some tough decisions without any confusion and also maintained peace and tranquillity in the country while implementing them. Shah was referring to some of the big projects of religious and cultural significance including renovation of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

He said when the Bharatiya Janata Party after its formation won only two Lok Sabha seats, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had joked about it. But now, the BJP has governments in 16 states of the country and more than 400 members of Parliament, the Union minister said.

Whenever the BJP came to power at the Centre, Indian culture received a huge boost and it became popular across the world, Shah said. On the occasion of Lord Hanuman Jayanti, Shah was in Salangpur village of Gujarat's Botad district to inaugurate a newly built mega kitchen at Shree Kashtbhanjan Dev Mandir, the famous Lord Hanuman temple. "Lakhs of people have made sacrifices since the time of Babur for Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. Instead of bringing a solution, the Congress kept stretching the issue. One day, a court judgement came and Modiji performed ground breaking for the Ram temple," Shah said.

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Though some people used to say that riots will break out if the issues of Article 370 and Ram Janmabhoomi are touched, nothing of that sort happened, the BJP leader said. "Similarly, we have completed the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Kedardham, Badrinath, gold plating of Somnath temple and makeover of Pavagadh temple. BJP leader and our PM Narendra Modi, without any confusion, took tough decisions with firmness while simultaneously maintaining peace and tranquillity in the country," he said.

In his address in the temple premises, Shah said it is a coincidence that along with Hanuman Jayanti, today is also the BJP's foundation day. (Former prime minister) Atalji and Advaniji founded the BJP on April 6, 1980 on the basis of principles. The announcement about the BJP's establishment was made at an event held in Mumbai, he noted. "At that time, many people made fun of the BJP. And when we got only two seats in the subsequent Lok Sabha polls, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had jokingly said in Parliament 'hum do hamare do'," Shah said.

He said thanks to Lord Hanuman's blessings, the BJP now has governments in 16 states and over 400 members of Parliament. Whenever the BJP came to power at the Centre after independence, be it under Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi, Indian culture received a huge boost and it became popular across the world, Shah said. People have been saying since long that India cannot have two Constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems, he said. "When Narendra Modi received full majority, he quietly, with the stroke of a pen, abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution (to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir). Every citizen of this country, be it poor or rich, was happy that PM Modi fulfilled their wish and made Kashmir our own," said Shah.

When leaders from other countries used to visit Gujarat in the past, they were either given a memento of (Ahmedabad-based) Sidi Saiyyed Mosque's stone screen (jali), or a replica of the Taj Mahal, he said. "There is nothing wrong with that. But today, I am happy that even Bhagavad Gita is gifted," the senior BJP leader said. "Our precious sculptures were either stolen, gifted or even sold the world over before independence. During nine years of PM Modi's rule, 360 idols, several of them more than 1,000 years old, were brought back and reinstalled in temples," he said. Meanwhile, the Shree Kashtbhanjan Dev Mandir in a statement said its hi-tech mega kitchen, built at a cost of Rs 55 crore, is spread across over one lakh square feet area and it can accommodate nearly 4,000 devotees, who can to eat the 'prasad' or meal while sitting at the dining tables.