Waqf Bill in Winter Session: Shah

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday vowed that the Waqf Amendment Bill will be passed during the winter session later this year, adding that those opposing it "will be straightened out" once the law is enacted. Speaking at rallies in Bashahpur and Indri assemblies, Shah intensified his attacks on the Congress in the poll-bound state, accusing Rahul Gandhi’s election guarantees of failing in states like Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, where the Congress is in power.

Criticising the previous Congress government in Haryana, Shah said, "Dealers, 'dalals' (middlemen), and 'damads' (sons-in-law) used to rule during (Bhupinder) Hooda’s government, and corruption was rampant."

Referring to the Waqf Amendment Bill, Shah told the gathering, "You have a problem with the current legislation on the Waqf Board... We will amend it in the Winter Session of Parliament."

Addressing a rally in support of BJP candidate Rao Narbir Singh in Gurugram's Badshahpur Assembly, Shah claimed that while the Congress makes lofty promises during elections, it fails to deliver on them in states like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. In contrast, he said, the BJP only makes promises it can keep.

"Rahul Baba and company cannot undertake development, but the double-engine BJP government will ensure the development of Haryana," Shah said. He added, "We will secure the country’s borders, protect reservations, and never allow Article 370 to return."

Shah also highlighted Haryana’s contribution to the armed forces, noting that every 10th soldier in the Army comes from the state. He criticised previous Congress governments for failing to implement the One Rank One Pension scheme, a demand fulfilled by the Modi government in 2015.

Lashing out at Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the Agnipath scheme, Shah called Gandhi a "lying machine" and refuted claims that Agniveers would struggle to find jobs. "After five years, you will not find even one Agniveer without a pensionable job," Shah assured the audience.

Shah further alleged that "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans were raised at Congress rallies in places like Hathin, Thanesar, and Palwal. He also claimed that the Congress wants to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, stating, "Kashmir is ours, and as long as the Modi government is in power, only the tricolour will fly there."

In his second rally in Karnal's Indri, Shah accused the previous Congress government of focusing development efforts on only one caste and one area. He claimed that under the BJP, two lakh youth were given jobs without any underhanded deals. He emphasised that the BJP worked for the entire state, serving all 36 communities, not just one.

Shah also alleged that the Hooda-led Congress government was "blinded by appeasement," focusing only on certain districts and castes. "Several acres of land in Gurugram were destroyed to make 'Delhi’s damad' wealthy," Shah charged, referring to alleged corruption during the Congress’s tenure.