Lok Sabha polls, Phase 1: 'Bumper voting', says Amit Shah

Jaipur, Apr 19 (PTI) Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said "bumper voting" has taken place in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections and claimed that people were heard chanting "Modi, Modi" after casting their votes.

Twelve parliamentary seats in Rajasthan were among the 102 that went to polls in the first phase of the seven-phase elections.

Addressing an election rally when voting was underway in the seats, Shah said, "In the first phase, bumper voting is taking place across the country. Whoever goes in, comes out shouting 'Modi, Modi." The rally took place in Bhopalgarh in the Pali parliamentary constituency, which will go to polls in the second phase on April 26.

Targeting the Congress, Shah said members of the party did not attend the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony as they were "afraid of the minority vote-bank". Referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, he said the case was kept in limbo for many years but when Narendra Modi was elected prime minister for the second time, the case was decided and the Ram temple constructed.

The BJP leader said after "500 years", Ram Lalla celebrated his birthday (Ram Navami) at the new temple.

"When the Congress got the invitation for the Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav (consecration ceremony), they (the party's leaders) did not go. They were afraid of their vote-bank, they are afraid of the minority vote-bank. We are not afraid," he said.

Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the OBC (other backward classes) issue, Shah said it was the Congress that opposed the Mandal commission report. Prime Minister Modi has worked to honour members of the backward classes and has given constitutional status to the backward classes commission, he said.

The BJP leader said that "37 per cent of MPs are OBC, 27 (Union) ministers are OBC and the prime minister himself is an OBC".

Referring to Modi's terms as the chief minister of Gujarat and then prime minister, Shah said Modi has been working for the country without taking any holiday for the last 23 years, whereas Gandhi goes on vacation abroad every three months.

"There are two people, one is Modi who has been serving 'Bharat Mata' for 23 years without taking any holiday, and the other is Rahul Baba who goes on vacation to Thailand...abroad every three months," he said.

"On one side, there is the Nehru-Gandhi family that ruled for 55 years and four generations, and on the other, Narendra Modi has brought crores of poor people out of poverty in 10 years. While the Congress has been involved in scams and corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore, there is no allegation of corruption against Narendra Modi," Shah said.

He also said that Prime Minister Modi was the biggest supporter of reservations for scheduled castes (SC) scheduled tribes (ST) and OBC.

"I am asked why do we (BJP-led NDA) have to get more than 400 seats. I tell you, be it OBC, SC or ST, Narendra Modi is the biggest supporter of reservations. Congress asks why the number of seats should cross 400, we crossed 300 and have abolished Article 370, made India's economy the fifth largest, did the work of 'one pension, one rank', abolished triple talaq, worked to give 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and states assemblies, passed CAA and brought UCC," Shah said.

He said that Modi has worked to protect the country and make it prosperous.

Shah appealed to voters to support BJP's Pali candidate PP Chaudhary. PTI