Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged the people of Punjab to give the BJP a chance in the 2027 Assembly elections. He said if anyone can free the state from the drug menace, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Shah said Punjab today is facing multiple problems, including rising debt, drugs, religious conversions, corruption and the fear created by gangsters. Addressing the BJP’s “Badlav” rally at Killi Chahlan village in Moga, Shah said Punjab has already given many opportunities to the Congress, the Akalis and the AAP. He said the time has come for the state to give the BJP a chance. “We will bring change in Punjab,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Shah alleged that the administration has become deeply corrupt. He also claimed that the state government has turned into an “ATM” for AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Shah said the Assembly elections will take place in 2027 and the BJP has, in a way, begun its campaign from Moga itself. “I have come here to appeal to the people of Punjab,” the Union minister said while seeking their support for the BJP.
Referring to the BJP’s earlier alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, Shah said the party had always contested elections as a junior partner in the state. “Whenever we came before you, we came in the role of a younger brother,” he told the gathering. He added that this time the BJP will contest with the aim of forming its own government in Punjab.
"I have come to seek blessings from the people of Punjab, including mothers, sisters and the elderly. Give us your blessings. If there is anyone who can rid the state of the drug menace, it is only Narendra Modi and the BJP," Shah added. He said that the BJP government at the Centre has taken strong steps on major national issues.
"We scrapped Article 370 in J&K. Today, Naxalism is on the verge of its end. If Punjab has to be rid of the drug menace, it needs BJP's double-engine government," he said.
Repeating his criticism of the current situation, Shah said Punjab has suffered because of rising debt, drugs, religious conversions, corruption and the growing influence of gangsters. He also claimed that industries are leaving the state.
He said the people have already given several chances to the Congress, the Akali Dal and the AAP to solve problems like unemployment. Now, he said, the BJP should be given an opportunity to bring change in the state. Elaborate security arrangements were put in place for Shah’s rally in Moga.
Moga is part of Punjab’s politically important Malwa region, which accounts for 69 of the 117 Assembly seats in the state and often plays a decisive role in elections.
Also read: Punjab wants ‘badlav’, says Amit Shah ahead of BJP rally in Moga
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