Amit Shah takes battle in UP to "third generation" says Samajwadi Party is out for next 30 years ::::: Also makes a cricket jibe at Rahul, Akhilesh and throws a "Parliament session" googly

"Akhilesh babu, mark my words, your party will not form the government in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years. The people will not forgive even your third generation," Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.  

In a sharp jab at Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, the Home Minister compared their allegations of 'vote chori' to a team blaming the umpire after losing a cricket match.  Shah was addressing the BJP's state working committee meeting in Lucknow.

The Yogi Adityanath-ruled Uttar Pradesh goes to polls by March 2027 along with Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.  

"BJP is like Angad's immovable foot. Nobody can dislodge it," Shah said, claiming the party would dominate politics in UP and at the Centre for the next 30 years.

The reference is to Angad - a character from the epic Ramayana. According to the epic, Angad planted his foot in Ravana's court and challenged anyone to move it. However, none could.

"Party workers must remain focused like Arjuna, with their eyes fixed only on the target. The time has come to form a BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for the third consecutive time," the Home Minister said, referring to the key character from the epic Mahabharata.

Shah said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has already been implemented in several states. Referring to 1990 firing on Ram devotees in Ayodhya during the Samajwadi party government, Mr. Shah alleged that indiscriminate firing had been ordered on devotees of Lord Ram and BJP workers. 

Contrary to media reports that Yogi Adityanath was a “surprise” choice as BJP’s chief minister for Uttar Pradesh in 2017, reports also suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then BJP chief Amit Shah had seriously considered the Gorakhpur sanyasi-turned-lawmaker as a strong contender. 

The reasons were the Yogi’s popularity, political heft, his appeal across castes and his demonstration of discipline. 

He also threw a googly at the opposition, challenging it to take up the issue in Parliament. Shah said the government was ready to convene a special session to discuss the 'vote chori' allegations - an issue that the opposition has used to seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.  

"Rahul and Akhilesh Yadav, instead of practising harder after losing a match, start blaming the umpire. I challenge them- the BJP is ready to discuss these allegations in Parliament. Come forward, and let us convene a special session," Shah said.  

There has been considerable buzz that the government might convene a special session soon to take up constitutional amendment bills related to delimitation and women's reservation in Parliament.

The Monsoon session of Parliament, which concluded on August 13, has not yet been prorogued, and was only adjourned sine die. Usually, both Houses are prorogued after a session ends. It is a constitutional process that officially brings the session to a close.

The Home Minister's challenge comes at a time when the opposition, led by Rahul, has gone on a warpath against the CEC over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise, which has resulted in the exclusion of 13 crore voters.  It has given fresh ammunition to the opposition to link the findings to its wider 'vote chori' campaign against Gyanesh Kumar and the Modi government.

'BJP LIKE ANGAD'S IMMOVABLE FOOT'

Turning his attention to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, Shah expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power in the state for a third consecutive term.  

Amit Shah lauded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for improving law and order, eliminating mafia elements, and turning the state into an investment hub attracting over Rs 50 lakh crore.

The meeting was chaired by BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary and attended by senior state and central figures, including Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state in-charge Vinod Tawde, and national general secretary Smriti Irani.  In 2017, Rajnath Singh was considered for the post of UP chief minister. 

But the then Home Minister had declined to go back to the state. Most internal BJP surveys in UP during poll season of 2017 showed that, among voters Yogi Adityanath was just a point behind Rajnath Singh in terms of acceptance as the CM candidate. Likes of Keshav Maurya was considered but was given up at a later stage. 

Many have almost ignored a fact that in 2014 - when Shah was only BJP general secretary managing polls for Modi in UP;  Shah stayed in the Gorakhpur mutt for a couple of days and was very impressed with Adityanath’s disciplined lifestyle, his attention to those in his care, his plain-speaking and his knowledge of history.

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