JOIN USOver 300 cops in Amit Shah's roadshow at Muslim areas
Guarded by over 300 policemen and at least 50 police vehicles in his convoy, BJP president Amit Shah kick-started his campaign for Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency seat on Saturday.
Local said that Saturday was the first time that Shah’s election rally passed through Muslim localities in Sarkhej, Makarba and touched the border of Juhapura, the biggest Muslim ghetto in the state.
“L K Advani might have passed through this route but I certainly don’t remember. There is no other BJP leader of national stature came to this locality for votes,” Mustafabhai, 70, a resident of Sarkhej, who saw Shah passing through the area, said. Advani had represented Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat for a record six times.
Md Ahmed Ghanchi, 54, agreed with Mustafabhai and said that “No BJP leader had ever come through this route.” Ghanchi lives close to the famous Sarkhej Roza monument. “Kafi sare log dekhne aaye the, sabko paise mile honge (There were lot of people on the round to see the show, they must have been paid for it),” he said.
Local said that it was just an attempt to get vote for which, Shah passed through the Muslim area and nothing else. “There were more police than the people. Was he scared of coming to Muslim society?” Mustafabhai questioned.
When asked about the massive deployment of police in Shah’s road-show a senior police officer told DH, “There is nothing new in the security arrangement. The number vehicles and personnel are in accordance with the threat assessment. He still have threat from Jaish-e-Mohammed.” The officer categorically denied that "more force was deployed due to Muslim society."
Shah’s caravan entered Makarba road from Sarkhej roundabout and passed through the world heritage site Sarkhej Roza. Near this site, local BJP leader Abdul Wahab Pathan welcomed Shah with petal shower.
“It’s good that he came. We are very excited. We have been trying to give people of this locality all the basic amenities. Water woes are going to be over soon,” Pathan promised. He said that he was associated with the BJP since 1996. He also said that no national leader had come this close to Muslim society for campaigning.
Earlier, Shah garlanded the pictures of Jan Sangh founders Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee before embarking upon the road show. He was accompanied by state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani. Before he proceeded on the road show on a chariot, Shah asked people to chant, “Jahan hue balidaan Mukherjee, woh Kashmir hamara hai, sara ka sara hamara hai. (Where Mukherjee sacrificed his life, that Kashmir is ours, entire Kashmir is ours).”
It was a reference to former chief minister of Mehbooba Mufti who recently criticised the BJP chief that he was “daydreaming” about repealing special status to Jammu and Kashmir.