Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Saturday slammed actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha for praising Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, days after quitting the saffron party and joining the Congress. “Shatrughan Sinha has just gone to the Congress. Now he says that Jinnah was also a great man like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. The Congress leaders are praising Jinnah, who has divided the country. It is their character,” Shah said while addressing a rally in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency.
Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh on Friday, Sinha said Jinnah was part of the Congress family and praised him for his role in Independence and development of the country. The BJP president also criticised Congress leader P.C. Chacko for lauding separatist leader Yasin Malik, who is in judicial custody till May 24 in connection with a terror funding case.
Shah said Kashmir will remain an integral part of India till the last BJP worker is alive. “Chacko said the Modi government should not take tough action against Yasin Malik. Malik wants to separate Kashmir from India. So, strict action is necessary. Chacko may say anything, I want to say that Kashmir cannot be separated from India,” the BJP President said.
He also criticised the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for violence against BJP workers in the state. In Odisha, more than 20 BJP workers have been attacked, and many killed. There is no place for violence, he added. He appealed to the party workers to oust the Naveen Patnaik-led government in the state and bring the BJP, which will usher in development.
Alleging that the BJD leaders are involved in the multi-thousand crore chit fund scam, Shah said the party will send them to jail within 90 days of coming to power in the state. Shah also said that while the Prime Minister launched the Ayushman Bharat Yojana for 50 crore poor in the country, Patnaik is not accepting the scheme. He assured that they will implement the scheme if the BJP is voted to power in Odisha. Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held together in the state. The fourth phase is scheduled to be held on April 29.