Jaipur, April 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will register a hat-trick of victories in Rajasthan in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by winning all 25 seats with 70 per cent votes. Targeting the Opposition during a programme in Jaipur, he said: "INDIA bloc has come together to save the corrupt, not democracy."

The Union Minister, who in the home constituency of former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, also targetted the veteran Congress leader over several issues. Addressing the Shakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan in Jodhpur, HM Shah said "neither Gehlot nor Sonia Gandhi is worried over the problems of the common people". Lok Sabha Elections 2024: PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda Among BJP Star Campaigners in Karnataka.

"Ashok Gehlot wants to make his son the Chief Minister. Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son the Prime Minister. They are not worried about the common people," he said. HM Shah also spoke about the work done by the BJP-led Central government in the last 10 years and challenged Ashok Gehlot to stay prepared to participate in a debate on the work front.

"Ashok Gehlot ji, if you are free... then answer my question. I have given the details of our work done publicly today. Now, you can decide the date for the debate to discuss your work, I will send our Yuva Morcha president to discuss it," HM Shah said.

Taking a dig at Gehlot regarding the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) -- a drinking water and irrigation programme, HM Shah said: "When I promised ERCP, everyone was laughing... Ashok Gehlot was asking how it would be implemented? Gehlot ji, Bhajan Lal Sharma has become Chief Minister for the first time and within five months, he took steps towards the ERCP." Lok Sabha Election 2024: PM Narendra Modi To Launch Campaign for General Polls in Bihar on April 4.

The Union Minister also criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, saying the former has no right to talk about democracy. "They are talking about saving democracy. Rahul Gandhi, your grandmother had put lakhs of people in jail during the Emergency and had banned political parties. You have no right to talk about democracy," HM Shah said.

Commenting on Congress joining the rally against AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, HM Shah again criticised Rahul Gandhi, saying: "Yesterday, he said 'save democracy'. Why? What happened to democracy? Why are you talking about saving democracy? If we commit a scam of Rs 12 lakh crore, will we go to jail or not? Why are you complaining? We had contested elections in 2014 and 2019 saying that whoever commits corruption will go behind the bars. Here too (in Rajasthan), those who committed corruption in the paper leak matter were put in jail".

Further attacking the Opposition leaders, HM Shah said: "Lalu Yadav wants to make his son the CM, Uddhav Thackeray wants to make his son CM, Mamata Banerjee wants to make her nephew CM and M.K. Stalin wants to make his son the CM. How can one who thinks about his son, daughter, daughter-in-law and nephew, think about the youth of India? Only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP think for the youth of India."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2024 07:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).