Amit Shah slams Rahul Gandhi's 'love' for terrorists during Nagpur rally

BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday targeted the Congress, saying when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strikes on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party. Addressing a rally here, he said the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over. But, the present government is not that of 'mauni baba' (silent PM) Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and destroyed terror camps," Shah said.

"When the country was rejoicing (over the air strikes), there was mourning only in Pakistan and Rahul Gandhi -led Congress. When 40 jawans are martyred, should we not bomb the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack," he asked. Hitting out at the Congress president, he said, "Rahul baba .. you can do ILU ILU with terrorists, but we will give "eent ka jawab patthar se" (a resolute and befitting reply)." Shah also accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining words like "Hindu terror and saffron terror".

Shah was campaigning for Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is pitted against Nana Patole of the Congress in the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls on April 11. Shah said the Congress did not find a nominee against Gadkari and hence it had to "import" its candidate from outside.

Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat in Vidarbha. He quit the BJP in 2017 and later joined the Congress. Patole was earlier an MLA of the Congress.

During his speech, Shah also listed the promises made in the BJP manifesto for farmers and traders, among other sections of the society. Nagpur is among the seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will vote on April 11. Tuesday was the last day of campaigning in these parliamentary seats.

(With inputs from agencies.)