Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday dismissed the Opposition’s “vote theft” protests, derided Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits and repeated his claim that the BJP would rule the country for 30 years.
Shah, who turned 62 on Thursday, received birthday greetings from party leaders who hailed him as a “visionary” and a “statesman”.
“These protests and demonstrations will not achieve anything,” Shah said, referring to the Opposition’s agitation against alleged vote theft by the BJP.
“When I say the BJP will be in power for 30 years, they (Opposition) say, ‘Look, this is vote theft; otherwise, how would Amit Shah know?’” Shah said, addressing a Delhi government event.
“I want to tell them that Amit was born here, lives here and will die here. I don’t need to visit foreign countries every six months. Given the kind of negative politics you are pursuing, your government won’t be formed for the next 30 years.”
Shah, however, later said he was counting the 30 years from 2014, when the Narendra Modi government was formed.
He accused the Congress of “a double standard”, saying the party had no problems with the Election Commission or voter rolls when it won polls in Kerala, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.
“But when they lose elections, they claim ‘vote chori’. This double standard will not work with the people,” Shah said.
Targeting Rahul, he said: “I know you cannot hear my voice because you are sitting somewhere abroad. You don’t even explain why you are there…. However, once you arrive back in Delhi, remember my words: You will not get another chance to be in power for the next 30 years.
“You cannot use political jugglery and mobocracy to defy the mandate of the people. If you want to win elections, go among the people to understand their problems. These protests and demonstrations will not achieve anything.”
Shah accused the Opposition of trying to protect the votes of “infiltrators” through its allegations of vote theft.
Modi, in his birthday greetings to his closest confidant, said Shah’s “administrative understanding” had enabled him to make “India’s internal security systems... more effective”.
“Particularly noteworthy are the successes in eliminating the menace of Maoism and in furthering our dream of a society free from drugs. I pray that he is blessed with a long and healthy life in service of the people,” Modi said on X.
The Odisha BJP tweeted: “A statesman. A strategist. A patriot at heart… And a nightmare for anti-India forces. He is Home Minister Shri Amit Shah.”
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan extolled Shah as a “popular people’s leader, an accomplished strategist and a skilled tactician”.