Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence today that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure a sweeping victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Shah projected that the BJP would clinch 370 seats, with the NDA surpassing 400 seats, paving the way for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“We have abrogated Article 370, showing our commitment to national unity. We believe the people will bless us with 370 seats and the NDA with over 400 seats,” Shah said at the ET NOW Global Business Summit 2024.
Shah hinted at the possibility of more parties joining the NDA, stating, “The BJP believes in family planning but not in politics.”
He also addressed ongoing discussions with parties like the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) about potential alliances.
Regarding the election narrative, Shah said that the 2024 polls would be a choice between development and empty slogans, rather than a contest between political alliances.
Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Shah criticized Gandhi’s party, stating, “The Nehru-Gandhi scion has no right to lead such a march, considering his party’s role in the partition of the country in 1947.”
Shah defended the timing of a recently tabled white paper in Parliament, asserting that it was essential for the public to understand the state of the economy inherited from the previous government.
Touching upon contentious issues, Shah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building the Ram temple in Ayodhya and implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) before the elections.
He said that the CAA aimed to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring countries and not to revoke anyone’s Indian citizenship.
Shah also addressed the topic of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), calling it a constitutional agenda that had been sidelined by previous governments.
He said that a secular country should not have religion-based civil codes and welcomed discussions on the topic.
