The win is not enough: Amit Shah

AHMEDABAD: Reiterating that nationalism was a key issue in the 2019 general election, BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday sought a record-breaking win for himself in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.


Shah said that the surgical and air strikes against terror could only have been carried out by a BJP government, "Until now, the US and Israel were only two countries which avenged the killing of their soldiers," Shah said at a meeting on the outskirts of the state capital. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that our India is added to that list." He went on to say: "Earlier any ‘Alia Malia Jamalia’ would enter India from Pakistan and trigger bomb blasts, killing our jawans. And there would not be reaction from India."

Shah said that when the Uri attack occurred, India hit back with a surgical strike against Pakistan. "And after the Pulwama attack, the Modi government blew Balakot terror training camps to smithereens," he said. "After the air strike, the mood in Pakistan and the Congress office was the same. I wonder what was the Congress’s loss."

Shah said that he was fortunate to contest from Gandhinagar that was once held by two party stalwarts — Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. "Just winning is not enough in Gandhinagar," Shah said. "It should be a record-breaking win reflecting the numbers from all seven assembly segments that make up Gandhinagar."

Shah promised to make Gandhinagar the most developed constituency in the country. "After five years you can ask any agency to carry out a survey. I am sure Gandhinagar will win that honour."

Earlier in the day, Shah appealed to the people of Ranip to vote en masse for the BJP as PM Modi is a registered voter of the area and will exercise his franchise there. He told the office-bearers of housing societies: "It’s your responsibility to ensure that Gandhinagar becomes the Number 2 Lok Sabha constituency in the country in terms of the victory margin." Shah implied that the Number 1 constituency would be Varanasi, held by the PM.

In Kalol town, Shah led a 7km rally from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk to Panchvati Hanumanji Temple with

Gujarat

deputy chief minister Nitin Patel.