Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Congress and INDI alliance people are claiming that they will re-consecrate the Ram temple after assuming power. However, he asserted that such claims were merely pretexts for getting the Ram temple locked in the name of re-consecration.

“The INDIA bloc is nothing but a family alliance. Within this alliance, Lalu Prasad Yadav aims for his son to become the Chief Minister. Mamata Banerjee wants her nephew to become the Chief Minister. Sonia Gandhi wants her son to become the Prime Minister,” he alleged.

Shah was addressing a public meeting in support of BJP candidates Smriti Irani and Dinesh Pratap Singh at Daulatpur under the Jagatpur block here on Friday.

However, in a major setback for the INDI alliance in Rae Bareli-Amethi, SP MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey joined the BJP in Shah’s presence. Several pradhans and block members of other parties also joined the BJP. Pandey is a noted Brahmin leader of the region.

Shah said that these people claim Rae Bareli as their family seat. However, he asserted that there is no such concept of a seat being a family seat. He said that the Rae Bareli and Amethi seats belong to the people. They will elect whomever they deem fit to represent them in Parliament.

“This time, Smriti Zubin Irani from Amethi and Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli will reach Parliament after winning the elections,” he claimed.

Shah said, “The Congress and its leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar and Farooq Abdullah believe that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir belongs to Pakistan. I want to tell them that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has been, is, and will always remain an integral part of India, and no force can take it away from us. It will soon be merged with India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished Article 370 but the Congress now wants to reinstate it. I want to make it clear that no one has the guts to challenge the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who leads a population of 140 crore people”.

“I want to tell Rahul Baba that India will take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Narendra Modi ji has remained the Chief Minister for a long time, but no allegations were made against him. The Congress party has looted the country. Rahul Baba listen to me carefully: corrupt leaders will have to go to jail. The Modi government will not spare them at any cost.

“Uttar Pradesh witnessed significant development under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Factories and industries were established, providing employment opportunities to the people. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ensuring development, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is wiping out criminals. The Gandhi family considers the people here as their own. More than 20 people died in NTPC but Sonia Gandhi did not even visit them,” he said, adding that it was Smriti Irani who took the initiative to construct the collectorate office in Amethi.