![Union Home Minister Amit Shah holds a mace during a public meeting for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, in Datia on Monday, November 13, 2023. Union Home Minister Amit Shah holds a mace during a public meeting for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, in Datia on Monday, November 13, 2023.](https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png)
Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah holds a mace throughout a public assembly for the Madhya Pradesh Meeting elections, in Datia on Monday, November 13, 2023.
| Picture Credit score: ANI
At the same time as Congress chief Rahul Gandhi continues to push his celebration’s plank with the promise of a caste-based inhabitants survey in Madhya Pradesh, Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah on Monday accused the grand outdated celebration of “insulting” the Different Backward Courses (OBCs) and “opposing and suppressing” the Mandal Fee report.
“The Congress party always insulted the backward class. The Congress suppressed the Mandal Commission report for several years. [Former Prime Minister] Rajiv Gandhi opposed implementing it,” Mr. Shah mentioned, addressing a rally in Chanderi in Ashok Nagar district within the poll-bound State.
“They never gave the Backward Class Commission constitutional recognition for 70 years. But [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi-ji gave it constitutional recognition and gave respect to crores of people from the backward class,” he added.
Each the BJP and the Congress have been making an attempt to woo the OBCs in Madhya Pradesh as they make up almost 50% of the State’s inhabitants.
In the meantime, on a day when senior BJP leaders, includng Mr. Shah and Mr. Modi, made strident Hindutva-based appeals, the Congress launched a video of Mr. Gandhi’s pilgrimage to Kedarnath.
Within the video, the Congress chief is seen interacting with a mauni baba (silent saint) by gestures and written phrases. The transfer will be seen as one of many Congress’s many refined makes an attempt to play the Hindu card within the run-up to the Meeting polls within the State.
The Congress’ State unit chief and chief ministerial candidate Kamal Nath has portrayed himself as a “proud Hindu” on a number of events. He has additionally tried to counter the BJP’s Ayodhya Ram Mandir plank by saying that the temple belonged to each citizen of the nation and the ruling celebration didn’t personal it.
Mr. Gandhi, throughout his a number of rallies and roadshows throughout the State, together with in Bhopal and Neemuch, additionally attacked the BJP on the problem of corruption, and questioned the alleged inaction of Central companies, together with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Revenue-Tax (I-T) Division, in probing the purported video that surfaced not too long ago of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s son.
The clip, which went viral on social media, allegedly confirmed Mr. Tomar’s son Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar “discussing transactions” value a whole bunch of crores of rupees with an alleged intermediary. The Union Minister can be a BJP candidate within the upcoming Meeting elections.
“Did you see the video of Tomar-ji’s son? He is saying ₹10 crore will go here, ₹20 crore there, ₹100 crore put in the bank’s account. Whose money is he talking about? It is the people’s money,” Mr. Gandhi mentioned in Neemuch.
“[The] PM’s Minister’s son is stealing in front of everyone on video call – did Modi ji take action? Was the ED sent? Was the CBI sent? Was the I[-]T department sent? No, because Madhya Pradesh has a government of corruption and 50% commission!” the Congress chief later mentioned in an X submit.
Mr. Gandhi additionally attacked the State authorities led by BJP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over numerous alleged scams, together with the Vyapam rip-off, Mahakal Lok Hall rip-off, and the Patwari examination rip-off.