Gandhinagar: A day after winning the Rajyasabha election from his home-state Gujarat, BJP president Amit Shah today dedicated it to party carders and again appealed them to get ready for mission 150 (winning 150 seats) in the coming assembly election in December this year.

He also attacked Congress for its role in Narmada project and stalling the amendment bill of Modi government regarding conferring constitutional status to the backward classes commission.

Shah also said that the leadership of Congress and its dual policies were responsible for splits in the party.

Addressing a function at the BJP state headquarter Srikamalam at Koba near here to felicitate him and union minister Smriti Irani for winning Rajyasabha election, Shah said it was also a special day for him as today he completed 20 years as MLA and also resigned from the post owing to getting elected as the representative of Gujarat for Rajyasabha.

‘In last 20 years since 1997 to 2017, people of both my constituencies Sarkhej and Naranpura gave me so much of love and ensured my victory with heavy margin. Today before coming here I have handed over my resignation to the assembly speaker. I have witnessed the 20 years as MLA which would be scripted in the history as a golden period of Gujarat during which in the BJP rule mostly under Narendrabhai Modi and after him under Anandiben and now Vijaybhai and Nitinbhai, we have created many new records of development. Be it the 24 hours availability of power in villages, raising the level of Narmada dam, Law and order or Infrastructure. We took development to every nook and corner,’ he said adding that the then CM Modi even made a precedent by utilizing gifts received by him in the public office for the betterment of poor.

‘This spread the fragrance of BJP across the country and today we have a majority government and PM Modi in his first speech had termed the Pradhan Mantri as Pradhan Sevak,’ he said.

Shah who had earlier hit the Congress hard on Narmada project in his last speech in the assembly today again took up this issue in his address. He reiterated that despite the foundation of the all important project led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress adopted dual policy on it and did not let its work progress during its regime both at center and in Gujarat. It made some headway only after Morarji Desai became PM and BJP supported Chimanbhai government in Gujarat. It made tremendous progress during the tenure of Modi both as CM and PM. ‘If one studies the whole course of Narmada project from its foundation to elevation and closure of gates, it would be clear that whenever the Congress came to power at center its works were stopped while it moved forward during BJP regimes only. Congress members raised the issue of displaced in both the houses of parliament and in MP congress opposed it while in Gujarat it was keeping a mum. What was Congress’s policy on Narmada. BJP has a clear-cut stand that in all the four states viz Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP and Maharashtra it should be completed,’ Shah said.

He also said that Congress halted the initiative of BJP to give constitutional status to the BC commission. ‘The party did nothing for the OBC welfare despite the recommendations of Kakasaheb Kalelkar commission in as early as 1955. Congress stalled the amendment bill regarding BC commission in the Rajyasabha while it was already passed in Rajyasabha. Modi wants the welfare and honour of the backward classes. Now crores of voters of the backward classes must give a befitting reply to Congress.

Taking about party in Gujarat, shah said that the BJP organization was strongest in Gujarat. ‘We have not lost a single election since 1990. The people had given us overwhelming majorities because we honour the purity of public life. My and Smritiben’s win was owing to the hard-work of party workers,’ he said.

‘Under Narendrabhai we have won election after election and today BJP was ruling 68% of the area and 72% of the population in the country. Under him, the Gujarati PM and a pride for us, the honour of the country has increased across the world. Now Gujarat is going to witness assembly polls in December this year and the party carders should get ready for it. Congress could win the sole Rajyasabha seat by only 0.40 votes,’ he said.

He appealed the party carders to get ready for mission 150 in Gujarat and to get over 3/4th seats in the next election.

CM Vijay Rupani, Dy CM Nitin Patel, BJP state president Jeetu Vaghani, state party in-charge Bhupendra Yadav and the third party candidate Balwantsinh Rajput was also present on the occasion.

Rupani on the occasion said that Congress which had to fight for getting every single of only 44 votes out of over 60 of its fold had no right to celebrate the Rajyasabha victory of its sole candidate Ahmed Patel.

DeshGujarat