Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday slammed the Congress on farmers’ issue and said not a single state ruled by the grand old party is procuring 24 crops at minimum support price like Haryana does.
After addressing a poll rally in Tohana, Shah kept up the attack on Congress on various fronts at another rally in Yamunanagar district’s Jagadhri.
“I congratulate (Chief Minister) Nayab Saini…Haryana is the only state which procures 24 crops at MSP.
“I want to ask (Cong leader Bhupinder) Hooda sahib, name any Congress-ruled state’s chief minister who procures 24 crops at MSP,” he said.
Shah, who also holds the Cooperation department portfolio, then said, “the paddy MSP during Congress’ time was Rs 1,310 (per quintal), the BJP government made it Rs 2,300 (per quintal) and after 8 (October), we are going to make it Rs 3100 (per quintal)”.
“…They talk of farmers…but in 2013-2014 during the Congress-led UPA rule, the budget of only Rs 22,000 crore was kept aside for farmers. In 2024-25, the budget for farmers, under the Modi government, is Rs 1.52 lakh crore,” he said in presence of Chief Minister Saini at the rally.
For 60 years, Congress party gave Rs 7 lakh crore loan whereas BJP government at the Centre, in 10 years, has given Rs 20 lakh crore, he said.
Shah also gave comparative figures on paddy procurement to show procurements under the Modi government’s time were far more than under the previous Congress-led UPA regime.
Appealing people to bring back the BJP to power in Haryana, Shah said, “On one hand is trusted BJP, on the other is corrupt Congress. You have to decide between the two.”
“There was a time (in Haryana) when one party came (to power), corruption used to increase and when the other party came, then ‘gundagardi’ (hooliganism) used to rise. ‘Parivarvad’ and casteism was at the peak in both the parties,” said the Union home minister as he attacked the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal.
“We ended both corruption and gundagardi,” he said.
Shah also alleged that during the Congress’ time, middlemen used to do the work of distributing jobs in Haryana. But in the BJP government, postmen deliver appointment letters at doorsteps, he said.
He also said that as soon as the Congress promised giving two lakh jobs in Haryana, it has made leaders from the grand old party to think about corruption in giving jobs.
“They have started to count…two lakh jobs multiplied by (Rs) 35 lakh. Have some shame, are you feeling happy to seek bribe from poor people,” he said.
“They may get happy as much they want, but the BJP is retaining power on October 8,” he said.
Shah also took a dig over alleged infighting in the Congress’ state unit.
“In Congress, it is the case of ‘ek anar, sau bimar’. There is one chief minister post, but (Randeep) Surjewala has got new clothes, (Kumari) Selja has gone to Uttarakhand after being upset.
“Not only this, fight is also going on between Hooda senior and Hooda junior (Deepender),” he said.
In ticket distributions too, they fought, he said.
Shah said when Nayab Saini was made the chief minister there was no fight in the BJP.
Earlier, governments used to run from the districts where CM belonged, but now the government is for the entire Haryana, he said.
He again lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on reservation and said, “Listen with open ears Rahul Baba, till the time Modi ji is there, till the time BJP is there, we will not allow anyone touch reservation”.
Shah said Gandhi, along with the National Conference, wants to bring back the Article 370 and release all terrorists.
“Should Article 370 be brought back, I want to ask you?. Should terrorists be released? Rahul Baba, even your three generations cannot bring back Article 370…it has become history,” he said.
During the Jawaharlal Nehru’s time, Article 370 had posed a question mark on Kashmir, he said, adding PM Narendra Modi has done the job of removing that question mark.
For greed of votebank, they do not leave anything for doing appeasement, Shah said.
“Should triple talaq have been ended or not. Congress party opposes. Should Ram temple have been built or not? Congress party opposes. Should terrorism end from the country or not. For greed of votebank, Congress party is opposing this too,” he said.
“But I want to say to Rahul Gandhi whatever you may do, country’s agenda won’t change,” he said.
The Congress can neither ensure the security of Kashmir nor that of country, he said.
“Earlier when bullets used to be fired, (former PM) Manmohan Singh would take 15 days to find out because he was from the Congress. Now, if anyone dares any misadventure, surgical strike and air strike are carried out within days…we hit inside their (Pakistan’s) territory,” he said.
The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.

Agencies