Shivraj Chouhan accuses INDIA bloc of conspiring to divide country

Lucknow, Nov 3 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc of attempting to create political instability and divide the country, while defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

     He also alleged that opposition parties were opposing the exercise to protect the interests of illegal immigrants and bogus voters.

     Addressing a gathering in Lucknow ahead of a "Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta hatao" march, Chouhan, who later led the march, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying their leadership had brought significant changes to the country and the state.

     "Modi and Yogi have done something truly extraordinary and historic in Uttar Pradesh. Under his leadership, the country is continuously moving forward, and this is what is troubling our INDIA bloc colleagues. They are constantly thinking about how to defeat the PM and the NDA," he said.

     Taking a swipe at the Congress, Chouhan said the party had lost its political influence in several states and alleged that its allies would also suffer politically by associating with it.

     The Union minister alleged that the Congress and the INDIA bloc wanted to transform democracy into a system dominated by violence and disorder because they were unable to defeat the BJP and the NDA through electoral politics.

     "When they could not defeat us among the people, they started trying other methods. The Congress and the entire INDIA bloc want to turn democracy into 'goonda tantra'. They want to turn politics into 'rakta neeti' (politics of bloodshed), democracy into 'loot tantra' and the democratic system into 'peeda tantra' (a system of suffering)," he said.

     Chouhan alleged that the opposition was conspiring to divide the country and compared its actions with the partition-related developments of 1905 and 1947.

     "The first conspiracy to divide the country was carried out by Lord Curzon in 1905. The second was carried out by Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1947. But today, Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc are attempting a third conspiracy to divide the country and push it into the fire of anarchy," he alleged.

     Accusing the Congress leader of promoting an anti-India narrative, Chouhan alleged that foreign forces were encouraging such campaigns.

     Defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Chouhan questioned the opposition's allegations of vote theft and said the exercise was necessary to remove names of deceased persons, duplicate entries and voters who had shifted from their registered addresses.

     He said approximately three crore voters could not be found at their registered addresses, while 6.3 crore had shifted from their previous locations.

     He accused opposition parties of creating a controversy over the revision exercise to protect what he described as illegal entries in voter lists.

     The Union minister also accused the opposition of attempting to secure electoral gains through the inclusion of names of illegal immigrants in voter lists.

     "Those who are not citizens of our country, whether they have come from Bangladesh or elsewhere, should they be allowed to remain here? Should infiltrators not be sent out of the country?" he asked.

     Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Chouhan alleged that facilities were being misused to arrange identity documents for illegal immigrants.

     "Akhilesh Yadav, you are running factories for getting Aadhaar cards made. Come on, join in. Is this country a guest house where anyone can come and stay? We love our country. The BJP and the NDA love this country, but the INDIA bloc, I would say, is in love with infiltrators," he alleged.

     He further claimed that illegal immigrants were being helped in getting their names included in voter lists to influence elections.

     Chouhan accused Rahul Gandhi of making allegations of vote theft out of frustration over electoral defeats.

     You are making false allegations and creating false narratives. You keep losing because of your own actions. You have no understanding of the country's politics and no sense of the pulse of the people," he said.

     Chouhan also targeted the Samajwadi Party over its previous tenure in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that law and order had deteriorated during its rule.

     "When the Samajwadi Party government was in power here, were people safe? The goonda raj was so dominant that people stopped stepping out of their homes after 5 pm. You destroyed Uttar Pradesh by running a government marked by commission, crime and corruption," he alleged.

     Chouhan accused the Congress of repeatedly weakening democratic institutions and referred to the Emergency and the legal developments surrounding former prime minister Indira Gandhi's election.

     "If anyone has committed the sin of dividing the country, it is the Congress. If anyone has committed the sin of strangling democracy, it is the Congress," he said.

     Referring to the Allahabad High Court judgment concerning Indira Gandhi's election, he alleged that constitutional amendments were subsequently brought to protect her position as prime minister.

     Taking another swipe at Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, he said both leaders lacked credibility and political capability.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)