New Delhi : Launching a scathing double-barrelled attack on the Opposition, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that the Congress party would not be able to win elections even by 2030 due to its "negative politics," accusing Rahul Gandhi of raising "vote theft" allegations solely to safeguard the vote bank of infiltrators, while also warning AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal that his party would be "rooted out" of Punjab. Shah also targeted AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the people will deliver a "befitting reply" by voting out the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab.
Addressing a gathering in the national capital here, the Home Minister dismissed the Congress party’s repeated questions on the neutrality of the Election Commission of India (ECI), remarking that the grand old party only blames democratic institutions when it loses. "I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that you want to save the votes of infiltrators by levelling allegations of vote theft. The Congress has not been elected in several states for decades, and this trend began long before PM Modi came to power," Shah said.
Taking a swipe at Congress' electoral fortunes, Shah added, "The way you are pursuing negative politics, I want to tell you that you will not be able to win elections even by 2030... Where you win, the Election Commission is doing well, but whenever you lose, the Election Commission is deemed faulty. If you can hear my words, remember that your turn will not come for the next 30 years."
Turning his guns on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Shah accused the former Delhi Chief Minister of practising politics strictly through protests while neglecting basic civic governance in Delhi. "I want to tell Kejriwal that the people will give you a befitting reply by rooting out the AAP government from Punjab. You only engaged in politics through agitations and protests. You did nothing to clear the towering heaps of garbage from Delhi," the Home Minister said.
Highlighting the Central government’s push to clear the capital’s landfill sites, Shah added, "We are working tirelessly in this direction. In a very short span of time, these garbage dump locations will be transformed into beautiful public gardens", he said. Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 43 Delhi Jal Board (DJB) projects worth ₹8,941 crore, aimed at revitalising and cleaning the Yamuna River.
Shah emphasised that the newly launched initiatives would serve as the backbone for the comprehensive rejuvenation of the river and improve the city’s drinking water infrastructure. "Today, I am here among you in Dwarka for the inauguration and groundbreaking ceremonies of significant projects worth ₹9,000 crore, aimed at the purification of the Yamuna. These projects serve as the backbone for the cleaning of the Yamuna... Immediately after the formation of the govt in Delhi, our PM Modi convened a major meeting within the very first month.
He presented his vision for purifying the Yamuna to the Delhi govt and the Ministry of Home Affairs... In such a short span, we have already covered more than 40% of the journey toward this goal. Today, these projects, worth ₹9,000 crore and encompassing both the treatment of wastewater and various initiatives related to drinking water, are being inaugurated and initiated through groundbreaking ceremonies, thanks to the efforts of Rekha Gupta and Pravesh Verma," he said.