lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 25, 2019 00:41 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a concerted attack on the Opposition on Sunday at over 200 rallies across the country — many of which featured top leaders — as part of a mega opening to the party’s 2019 election campaign, focussing on national security and the NDA government’s welfare schemes over the past five years.

BJP president Amit Shah, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, home minister Rajnath Singh, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, and railways minister Piyush Goyal, among other heavyweights, hit the ground running in the first leg of the blitzkrieg comprising over 450 rallies.

“Through these rallies, we are drawing a comparison between the government of [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, which is dedicated to the country’s development, self-respect and honour, and the team of [Congress president] Rahul Gandhi, which is dishonouring the valour of India’s armed forces,” said Anil Baluni, a Rajya Sabha member and the BJP’s media cell chief.

He said similar public meetings will be held at over 250 places on March 26. PM Modi, however, will not take part in these “Vijay Sankalp” (Victory Oath) rallies, which appear to be focusing on a two-pronged offensive over the IAF’s operation against a Jaish camp in Balakot, and the NDA’s development agenda.

Some of the leaders in the opposition camp have questioned the air strike and asked for the exact number of casualties suffered by the terrorists, triggering a sharp response from the government in the election season.

Responding to the BJP’s push, the Congress said the people have realised the truth, and the ruling party would face defeat. “While they are welcome to campaign, it will be good on their part to inform the people as to how many people got the promised ?15 lakh, how many of the promised 100 million jobs came to our youth. People would also want to know about the...lessons that China and Pakistan learnt,” said Congress spokesperson Pranav Jha, referring to the BJP’s previous election promises.

On Sunday, a day before the last date for filing nomination papers for the first phase of elections on April 11, Shah, Singh, Swaraj, Goyal and Union textile minister Smriti Irani stepped up the BJP’s offensive in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha. The state contributed to the party’s sweep in 2014, giving the party 71 out of its 282 seats. BJP ally Apna Dal won two seats in UP.

In Agra, Shah praised Modi for the Indian Army’s surgical strikes targeting terror launch pads across the Line of Control in 2016 and for the Balakot operation, which came in retaliation against the suicide bombing of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy that killed 40 security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14.

“There used to be two countries, the US?and Israel, which were known for avenging its soldiers. Now India has become the third country to do so under Modi...Only Modi can ensure the country’s security,” Shah said.

He went on to target the Opposition over what he said was the absence of a prime ministerial candidate. “No one is willing to fight the elections. [BSP leader] Mayawati wants Narendra Modi defeated, but she is not willing to fight elections. Neither is [Nationalist Congress Party leader] Sharad Pawar, [West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress leader] Mamata Banerjee or [DMK leader MK] Stalin,” he said, pointing out that they are not in the poll race.

In his parliamentary constituency Lucknow, home minister Singh, too, spoke of India’s action against the JeM, which claimed the Pulwama attack. “The irony is that there are some political parties in the country which are more worried about the surgical strikes than Pakistan. They are even asking how many persons were killed in the air strike,” he said.

Goyal, who was in Bareilly, took a jibe at Congress president Gandhi. “Information has started pouring in that he [Rahul Gandhi] has surrendered and is planning to vacate 74th seat [Amethi] for us in Uttar Pradesh. He got so scared of our sister Smriti Irani [who will contest from?Amethi] that he cannot even find a seat [to contest] in UP and is going to Kerala,” Goyal said.

Goyal’s remarks came a day after the Congress’s Kerala unit chief asked Gandhi, who is currently the Lok Sabha member from UP’s Amethi, to contest on a second seat from north Kerala’s Wayanad constituency in order to boost the party in the southern states.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath kicked off his campaign by offering prayers at a temple in Behat constituency of Saharanpur. “Modi’s name is echoing across the country. He made India proud everywhere and a strong India will be established under his leadership,” he said, attacking UP’s Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance that, experts say, could pose a strong challenge to the BJP.

In Noida, Swaraj, too, touched upon the air strike, saying foreign ministers from around the world who called her were in agreement with the operation. But she added that they were concerned that the situation could escalate. “To which, I very clearly mentioned that India is a peace-loving and responsible nation that won’t escalate the problem. But, if Pakistan does anything further, we won’t stay quite to which they all gave their support,” she said.

The BJP, which is eyeing a second term in office, has already announced 306 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections that will conclude on May 19. Results will be announced on May 23.