Amit Shah flags off Maha Janadesh Yatra in Solapur

Accusing the Congress placing vote bank politics and hunger for power above national interests, union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah made a strong pitch seeking a mandate on the grounds of nationalism by pitching the abrogation of Article 370 as a poll issue in Maharashtra.

"After the scrapping of Article 370, the first elections will take place in Maharashtra. (Former Congress president) Rahul Gandhi has claimed that doing away with Article 370 was a huge blunder. Maharashtra's people must decide whether removing Article 370 was a mistake or not," said Shah, who was speaking at a rally as part of the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' 'Maha Janadesh Yatra' in Solapur on Sunday. The rally saw several opposition figures like former MP Dhananjay (Munna) Mahadik, NCP MLA Rana Jagjitsinh Patil, and Congress MLA Jaykumar Gore join the BJP.

"When the country needed us, we stood by your party despite being in opposition," Shah taunted Gandhi, adding how former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had supported the then Congress regimes and also elucidated India's stand on the global stage despite being an opposition figure. He said on the contrary, Gandhi's statements were used by Pakistan to deride India. Shah said the abrogation of Article 370 would send a message to Pakistan sponsored terrorists and open the doors for Kashmir's development.

SHAH TO VISIT MUMBAI

Amit Shah will be in  Mumbai today. He will visit the Siddhivinayak Temple and Lalbaug for Ganpati darshan