C’garh: Congress eyes revenues of mutts, temples: Amit Shah

Raipur: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed concern over the purported pledge made by Congress in its poll manifesto to make a survey of all properties in the country if voted to power in the ongoing general elections.

Addressing an election rally in Kanker in Chhattisgarh, Mr Shah sought a clarification from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as to why his party wanted to make a survey of all properties in the country.

“Mr Gandhi must explain why Congress wants to make a survey of all properties in the country?” he said.His concern over the issue came in the backdrop of a statement made by Dr Manmohan Singh, when he was Prime Minister, that minorities have the first right over the resources of the country.

“Congress got upset when Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) raised the issue”, Mr Shah said.BJP always maintained that dalits, poor and tribals have the first right over resources of the country, he said.

The Union minister said that Congress eyed revenues of mutts and temples in the country.“Where will this money go? Remember Dr Manmohan Singh’s words (on rights of minorities over resources of the country)”, he told the gathering.

He said that Congress was always concerned about its vote bank and that’s why the party pursued the appeasement policy.Congress leaders did not attend the consecration ceremony of Ram temple at Ayodhya because of the party’s concern for its minority vote bank, Mr Shah said.

He said that Mr Modi has ensured that the birthday of Ramlala, who had remained in a tent for the last 500 years, is celebrated in the temple in Ayodhya this time.

For decades, Congress used to put all roadblocks in the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said.Mr Shah said that Mr Modi has done in ten years what Congress could not do in the last 70 years.

Mr Modi has transformed India during his ten-year-rule at the Centre, he added.While terrorism is eliminated in the country, Naxalism is going to be rooted out in the coming two to three years, he said.

“Mr Modi is such a leader who has a good track record of ten years and an agenda for the next 25 years for the country”, Mr Shah said.Mr Shah also took a swipe at the warring workers of Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad Yadav at the recent rally of INDIA bloc at Ranchi, saying that “If the INDIA bloc partners can openly indulge in bickering, how do you expect them to unite the country?”