BJP national president Amit Shah will be in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday to launch his party’s exercise to contact beneficiaries of various welfare programmes of its governments at the Centre and in states. He will later head to Karnataka to attend other political programmes.

From Andhra Pradesh, Shah will launch his party’s nationwide exercise to contact over 22 crore beneficiaries of various welfare programmes of its governments at the Centre and in states as part of its campaign for the coming Lok Sabha election. He will kick off the campaign from Andhra Pradesh’s Rajahmundry city, the party said in a statement on Wednesday.

Shah will address party workers from four adjacent Lok Sabha constituencies, the statement said.

Follow Highlights here:

5:55 pm IST Modi scheme will benefit 13-15 crore farmers: Amit Shah In 10 years of UPA, the Congress waived loans of 3 crore farmers for total amount of Rs 53,000 crore. But Modi scheme will benefit 13-15 crore farmers. In 10 years Modi would have given Rs 7.5 lakh crore for farmers, says Amit Shah.





5:53 pm IST Congress has betrayed the farmers: Amit Shah The Congress declared to waive off farm loans amounting to around Rs 48,000 crore. However, they only waived off Rs 1,600 crore. Rahul mocked this asking instead for loan waiver. What about their waiver promise here. Of 48,000 crore only 1,600 crore has been written off. They have betrayed the farmers. Let him first waive the loans in Karnataka before promising waiver across the country, says BJP chief Amit Shah.





5:49 pm IST We will remove illegal immigrants from across the country: Amit Shah JD(S), Congress, Mamata Bannerjee, Communists don’t want to remove such immigrants. They can only see their vote banks in them. But for us they are just a threat to the nation. No matter how many opposition leaders criticise this but vote Modi for five more years and we will remove illegal immigrants from across the country, says Amit Shah.





5:47 pm IST Modi government will provide Rs 75,000 crore to the farmers every year: Amit Shah Modi government has brought the 10% reservation quota for economic weaker sections for the general category without altering the existing reservation system in the country. Congress government waived off Rs 53,000 crore loans of farmers in 10 years. On the other hand, Modi government will provide Rs 75,000 crore to the farmers every year, says BJP chief Amit Shah.





5:35 pm IST Our government has also worked to secure the country: Amit Shah Our government has also worked to secure the country. For 60 years illegal immigrants kept coming into the country. But we have brought in the NRC. Only in Assam 40 lakh such immigrants have been identified and the BJP is working to get them removed, says Amit Shah.





5:33 pm IST When we came to power, 60 crore people didn’t have bank accounts: Amit Shah When we came to power, 60 crore people didn’t have bank accounts. 10 crore families didn’t have toilets. 10 crore people didn’t have homes, 2.5 crore people didn’t have electricity connections, 10 crore families didn’t have gas connections. In the past four years, 6 crore houses have got gas connections, 8 crore poor households have got toilets, 2.5 crore people have got houses, 2.5 households got electricity for the first time since independence. 50 crore people have been included in Ayushman Bharat with Rs 5 lakh cover, says BJP chief Amit Shah.





5:30 pm IST For 55 years, the Congress couldn’t develop the nation: Amit Shah For 55 years only one party ruled. But they couldn’t do anything to benefit the poor and develop the country, says Amit Shah.





5:27 pm IST To make Modi Prime Minister again, we need to ensure a majority to BJP: Amit Shah In 2018 there might have been some deficiencies but we have another opportunity now. To make Modi Prime Minister again we need to ensure a majority to BJP. As important as it is for BJP, it is equally important for the country that we win this election, says Amit Shah.





5:24 pm IST Mayawati ji says she wants a ‘Majboor’ government but we want a ‘Mazboot’ government: Amit Shah Mayawati ji says she wants a ‘Majboor’ (weak) government but we want a ‘Mazboot’ (strong) government, says BJP chief Amit Shah.





5:23 pm IST 2.5 Chief Minister’s rule is there in Karnataka: Amit Shah Kumaraswamy calls himself a clerk, Siddaramaiah is super chief minister and Parameshwara is half chief minister. This kind of 2.5 CM rule is there in Karnataka, says Amit Shah.





5:22 pm IST In Karnataka, BJP sitting in oppn due to ‘unholy’ Congress-JD(S) alliance: Amit Shah In Karnataka, BJP sitting in oppn due to ‘unholy’ Congress-JD(S) alliance, says Amit Shah.





5:18 pm IST Our booth level workers are our strength: Amit Shah Unlike other parties where the leaders or particular castes are the basis for winning elections, for BJP it is the booth level workers who are our strength, says Amit Shah.





5:17 pm IST We pay our respect to the soldiers killed in Pulwama: Amit Shah Some days back, Pakistani terrorists attacked in Pulwama and killed 40 jawans. We pay our respect to them and their families, says BJP chief Amit Shah.





5:14 pm IST Amit Shah is addressing Shakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan in Devanahalli, Karnataka BJP chief Amit Shah is addressing Shakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan in Devanahalli, Karnataka.





1:50 pm IST Naidu must sit on dharna outside his party office: Amit Shah “Chandrababu Naidu goes on sitting on dharna in Delhi, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. If he wishes to sit on dharna then he should sit in front of his party office which in the past five years did not work for the development of the state, said BJP chief Amit Shah in Andhra Pradesh. CM Chandrababu Naidu says that the development and growth was stopped by BJP. However, 10 of 14 tasks of Andhra Reorganization Act have already been completed in five years by the Modi government, he further said.





1:48 pm IST Naidu trusts Pakistan PM, and not India’s: Amit Shah “Chandrababu Naidu trusts the prime minister of Pakistan and not the prime minister of his own country. One should not stoop down to this level for their political interests,” said BJP national chief Amit Shah in Andhra Pradesh.





1:45 pm IST Congress used Pulwama attack for political interests: Amit Shah “Congress has used this (Pulwama) attack for their political interests. They created an issue of the PM Modi’s presence in a programme on the day of attack. But I want to tell them that PM Narendra Modi will continue to work 18 hours in a day,” said Amit Shah in Andhra Pradesh. “I would like to tell Congress Party not to politicize this attack as it is not going to benefit them,” he added.





1:40 pm IST Congress need not teach us about patriotism: Amit Shah “The Congress had today attacked PM Modi over the Pulwama attack. The Congress is targeting a prime minister who spends 18 hours of the day working for the country. Congress whose leader Navjot Singh Sidhu speaks for Pakistan dares to question PM Modi. Congress need not teach us about patriotism,” said Amit Shah in Andhra Pradesh.





1:35 pm IST PM has zero tolerance policy for terrorists, forces free to hit back The Narendra Modi government has zero tolerance policy for terrorists. The PM has given the security agencies a free hand to decide on when and where to hit back after the Pulwama terror attack, said BJP chief Amit Shah in Andhra Pradesh.





12:50 pm IST ‘NDA govt backed out from promise of special status to Andhra’ Chalasani Srinavas, president of Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samithi, a committee for Andhra Pradesh’s special status, said he will go round all states including Gujarat ahead of elections to “expose the betrayal of NDA government by backing out from its promise of providing special status to Andhra Pradesh”.





12:40 pm IST TDP, Congress workers protest with black flags TDP, Congress workers greeted BJP president Amit Shah with black flags protesting over denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh on his arrival in Rajahmundry.



