Himachal Pradesh: For Congress, OROP stands for ‘Only Rahul Only Priyanka’, claims Amit Shah
The BJP chief accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of not taking concrete steps to eradicate poverty.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Monday attacked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by introducing a new definition of the abbreviation of the One Rank One Pension scheme. Armed forces veterans have long asked for the same pension for all, regardless of rank, length of service, and irrespective of the date of retirement.
“When the BJP government was formed, within a year [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji delivered on his promise of One Rank One Pension,” Shah said while addressing an election rally in Una, Himachal Pradesh. “Modiji gave OROP to our jawans, Congress gave ‘Only Rahul Only Priyanka’.”
The Congress appointed Vadra to the post of general secretary for the Uttar Pradesh East region on January 23. She is expected to take charge from the first week of February ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Shah also accused Gandhi of paying just lip service to poverty alleviation, the Hindustan Times reported. “Even today, the Congress president in his speeches brings up the issue of poverty. However, I want to ask Rahul Gandhi what did the Congress government do for 55 years?” Shah said. “It’s only us who are taking measures for eradication of poverty.”
Shah claimed that Gandhi was busy promoting “Break In India” while Modi promoted Make In India. The BJP chief claimed that Gandhi had congratulated those who had raised anti-national slogans in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. “Rahul Gandhi can abuse our ministers as much as he likes, but he should remember this: the government will not spare a single person who talks about breaking up Mother India, such people should be behind bars,” he said.
Shah was referring to an incident from February 2016 where Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and others had allegedly chanted anti-national slogans at the college.
The BJP leader said the country wants a strong government not a weak and hapless administration. “Desh ek majboot sarkar chahta hai, majboor sarkar nahi,” Shah said, while adding that the nation wants a government which can give Pakistan a befitting reply for killing its soldiers.
Shah criticised the former Congress administration under Virbhadra Singh without identifying him. “No one else except raja, rani and rajkumar [king, queen and prince] were given importance during the five-year term of the previous Congress government in the state,” Shah said.
The saffron party leader claimed that the state received Rs 44,325 crore from the 13th Financial Commission under the Congress administration and compared it to the Rs 1,15,865 crore given to Himachal Pradesh during Modi’s tenure.
Addressing the rally earlier, Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur alleged that the Congress was unnecessarily indulging in mudslinging. “Our party has given a corruption-free government to the people of India,” he said.
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal claimed that the National Democratic Alliance government’s policies were being lauded globally. “[US President Donald] Trump’s administration, too, praised the work of the Modi government,” Dhumal said.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah countered Shah’s statement against the Gandhis with a jibe at Modi and the BJP president on Twitter. “While the rest of the country suffers from too much ODOMOS - overdose (of) only Modi only Shah,” Abdullah tweeted.