Modi only leader who can give befitting reply to Pakistan: Shah

"The country is faced with various security issues...Only Modi can give security to the country, take it forward to make it a world power and has the capability and capacity to give a befitting reply to Pakistan," Shah said addressing a rally of booth-level workers of the BJP here.  Taking a dig at the Congress-led opposition alliance, he said they cannot do any good to the country. 

"I am tired of asking the gathbandhan (alliance) who is their leader. They are not responding to me but the public should ask them who is their leader and what are their policies?" 

"It has no leader and no policy and such an alliance cannot do good to the country. It is the grouping of those who are in dynastic politics and have come together for their own families and safeguard their political interests," he replied himself.  He said the country is faced with various security issues and asked whether the 'gathbandhan' can secure the country. 

"We don't want 'majboor sarkar' (helpless government) but 'mazboot sarkar (strong government). If India has to become the world power, vote Modi again to power in the coming elections," he said amid chants of 'Modi, Modi' from the audience.  Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he said, "Rahul Baba has raised questions about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Today, if there is the problem of Jammu and Kashmir it is because of your grandfather (first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru) who took it in his own hands sidelining Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel who addressed problems of more complex in nature like Hyderabad within days."  "You kept the Jammu and Kashmir issue pending. Our forces were heading to take over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir but who stopped them. Whose decision was it and who took it to the UN," he said.

"It was your grandfather who took such decisions and we got it in inheritance but don't worry, this is not the Congress government but BJP government and our resolve is that we will not allow it (Jammu and Kashmir) to separate from India," he said.

He referred to various development schemes initiated by the prime minister and said the BJP ensured a new phase of development in the country, fulfilling the dreams of 50 crore poor population who were not having any facilities.  "Modi is a hard worker, he is working for 18 hours out of 24 hours and has a vision for the country. He is very popular around the world and is the only person who can take this country to new heights of development and will make India a world power," he said.

Shah said his government has done what the previous Congress governments could not do in the past 55 years spanning four generations of the dynastic rule. 

"The Modi government's five years are coming to an end and like other parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed all round development. There was a time development was restricted to some families in the state.  

"The funds from Delhi used to be siphoned by these families while no work was being done on the ground in any part of the region - Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. In fact, Jammu and Ladakh faced lot of injustice and there was imbalanced development of the regions, especially during the Congress rule," the BJP president alleged.  In 2015, Modi announced Rs 80,000 crore package for the state which was implementation by the BJP government, he said, adding the left-out work was done by the state governor after the state came under the president's rule.

Referring to a statement of NC president Farooq Abdullah, Shah said, "He asked what BJP gave to the state? Farooq sahib we are staying here and do not go to London for excursion. They are seeking accounts from us and are misleading and provoking the youth of the valley. I want to ask the youth of the valley to investigate where their children are reading and those closing the schools in the valley are enrolling their education in America and England from the public money."

Asserting that the place where Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee sacrificed his life, it "belongs to us", Shah referred to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, and said "their sacrifice will not go in vain".

"The Prime Minister has authorised security forces to take any punitive action they think fit against perpetrators of terrorism," he said.

Mookerjee was arrested upon entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953 to protest against granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He died during his detention in June 1953 after suffering a massive heart attack.

Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly said that his government has zero tolerance towards terrorism, the BJP leader said, adding "the terrorists will not be shown any mercy".

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the county and nobody has the power to take it away, Shah said his party would ensure that every illegal immigrant from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, including Rohingya refugees, are thrown out of the country, following the Assam Model.

Referring to the National Register of Citizens in Assam, the BJP president said his party would carry out a similar exercise from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to ensure that every illegal immigrant is thrown out of the country.