Home Minister Amit Shah, on Wednesday, said the BJP wants to fight and win polls everywhere on the basis of its ideology, programmes, the leadership's popularity and performance of the government and not by unleashing violence on its rivals.
He was replying to the debate over the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in Lok Sabha.
In an apparent response to comments by TMC MP Saugata Roy Shah said, "Why did you go to Goa, why are you going to Tripura. You have the right to go, I don't say don't go, every party must go with their ideology, programmes, performance to all places, this is the beauty of democracy."
"We don't want to grab power by killing workers of rival parties, carrying out series of murders, by raping wives and daughters of (rival) party workers. This is not our culture," the Union minister said, referring to the Birbhum killings in West Bengal and the post-poll violence in the state.
Shah took a swipe at the Congress and the TMC, saying they are parties run for families and don't hold internal polls for years. "First hold polls in your party, then talk about country."
During the discussion on the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, opposition members had accused the government of delaying the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah replied saying, "Those who are saying that elections (MCD polls) have been postponed due to fear of polls are scared. If you are so confident of the victory, then why do you want elections right now? If you have done good work, you will win six months later too.”
He said his party is not scared of polls. "I will tell you what is done when polls are feared. Allahabad High Court had cancelled the election of Indira Gandhi. Soon after, a prime minister, who didn't have right to vote in this house, snatched away democratic rights in the country and imposed Emergency. That is fear."
