Only Modi majority government can ensure national security: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: A stable government with a clear majority led by Narendra Modi is essential to meet the challenge of delivering faster economic growth and framing a resolute response to national security threats, BJP chief Amit Shah asserted on Tuesday.

In his first media interview after declaration of poll dates on Sunday, Shah told TOI, “In Modiji, we have given India a ‘mazboot’ leader under whom India has emerged among the top economies... Who can secure the country is another big issue. He is best equipped. These are the issues in the election.”

In contrast to Modi’s decisive leadership, the opposition did not have a leader who inspired confidence or knew which issues to focus on, he said. “The opposition is directionless and levelling unproven charges will not help,” he said.



Rebutting the charge of politicisation of air strikes on a terror camp, he asked, “Since when has delivering a fitting reply to a terror attack become politicisation of security?”

He expressed confidence that BJP would win a bigger majority and dismissed the suggestion that the party had reached saturation point in its strongholds in 2014 and its tally could only come down.

Shah said goodwill for the government’s performance would help BJP defeat the law of diminishing returns. “Besides, we will make gains in the northeast, West Bengal, Odisha and even the south.”

He denied the opposition’s charge that unemployment had worsened, saying that claims that jobs were not generated at a time of rapid expansion of infrastructure did not make sense. Available data did not fully capture job creation, he added.

On the issue of farm distress, he said the government had taken several measures to improve farmers’ income, including introducing an annual honorarium of Rs 6,000 as a gesture of solidarity with the “annadata”.