'Murmu's victory a reply to those who pay lip service to tribal empowerment'

Gandhinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Droupadi Murmu's victory in the presidential election was a reply to those who only talk about tribal empowerment but divide communities through their politics. Arriving in Gujarat where Assembly elections are due by year-end on a two-day visit, the senior BJP leader also inaugurated a host of projects.

"It is a given that one of the two candidates in the fray will win the presidential election, but for Droupadi Murmu to become President -- going from Shrimati Droupadi Murmu to Mahamahim Droupadi Murmu -- is a historic event in the 75 years of the country's independence," Shah said at the National Forensic Sciences University here. "To all those who talk about tribal empowerment but divide communities and play politics, Murmu's victory is a reply that tribal empowerment cannot be achieved only by using words but it happens by actions like this," the Union minister said.

APJ Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind too were elected to the top post when the BJP was in power, Shah noted. While Kalam contributed to India's security by strengthening the country's defence systems and putting India on the world map in the field of science, Kovind came from a very poor Dalit family and made it to the top post after a lot of struggle, he said.

"Today's (newly-elected) president comes from a region where many people do not even know what is president," Shah said. At NFSU, Shah inaugurated several projects for 'smart policing', including an e-FIR system, Integrated Command and Control Centre called 'Trinetra.' He also dedicated 10,000 body-worn cameras and 80 new vehicles for the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.

'Trinetra' integrates the feed from 7,000 CCTV cameras from different district-level centres as well as 15 drone cameras and 10,000 body-worn cameras of police personnel. The e-FIR system allows the lodging of a First Information Report for a vehicle or mobile theft directly through a portal or mobile app without visiting a police station.

Shah said the number of CCTV cameras under the Trinetra project should not be limited to 7,000 but a system should be created to incorporate the feed of cameras installed at railway stations, private residential societies, ports and pilgrimage sites. "Only then will the `suraksha chakra' conceptualised by the Gujarat government will become 'sudarshan chakra' and provide safety to Gujarat," he said.