Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Union Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday reached out to the Christian community on the occasion of Easter, requesting them to stand with the BJP-led NDA and help it form a government in Kerala where Assembly elections will be held on April 9.
Shah, speaking at a public meeting in Kunnathunadu constituency in Ernakulam, also referred to the alleged misappropriation of gold from Sabarimala and said the culprits behind it would be jailed within two months if the NDA forms a government in Kerala.
He also said that Kerala will get its first AIIMS and it will be operational within two years of an NDA government coming in the state.
The Union Home minister also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him a “liar” and took a dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, claiming that the Marxist veteran has begun a ‘name change startup’ whereby he changes the names of centrally sponsored schemes and projects to take credit.
He made similar allegations and claims at the public meeting in Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram district in the evening.
Campaigning for the BJP-led NDA, Shah, on the occasion of Easter, wished the Christian community and requested them to stand with the NDA.
“I appeal to my brothers and sisters in the Christian community to stand with the NDA and help form a prosperous Kerala,” he said. His appeal comes amidst concerns among the Christian community with regard to the recent amendments proposed by the Centre in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
He further said that the NDA stand was “justice for all and appeasement of none” and this was evident in the work they are doing across India.
Shah said that when the Popular Front of India (PFI) allegedly started doing anti-India activities, “within one day we put all their cadres behind bars”.
However, both LDF and UDF opposed the ban on PFI with one of them going with its political wing, SDPI, while the other joined forces with Jamaat-e-Islami, the Home minister said and claimed that “Kerala is not safe” under the governance of the two fronts.
He further claimed that when the LDF and UDF “kept silent” as the Waqf Board tried to take over the land of 600 Munambam residents in Ernakulam district, it was the NDA government that came with amendments to the Waqf Act to safeguard their property.