Delhi Polls: Amit Shah Attacks Congress, AAP Over Anti-CAA Violence, Rakes Up 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots

Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah targeted the opposition on Thursday (26 December) over the anti-CAA violence in the capital as well as for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, just ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly election next year.

By identifying these two issues, Shah trained his guns both on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress - two parties that stand in the BJP's way in the poll fight for the national capital.

"Recently, opposition politicians under the leadership of Congress spread rumours about the Citizenship Amendment Act. People came out on the roads and disturbed the peace and calm of Delhi. These politicians disturbed the peace of Delhi," said Shah. Without naming anyone, Shah was referring to Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi's sit-in at India Gate against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

He also raked up the anti-Sikh pogrom allegedly spearheaded by senior Congress leaders in the aftermath of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. The issue still finds resonance in Delhi, particularly amid a large chunk of Sikh voters.

"Congress could never deliver justice to the victims. The moment the Modi government came to power, an SIT was formed. Today the rioters are in jail," Shah said.

Shah was addressing a crowd on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of integrated development of East Delhi hub, a dream project of BJP's East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir. While heaping praise on the cricketer-turned-politician, Shah appealed to people to vote for "equally hard-working" MLAs as well, when Delhi goes to polls early next year.

BJP hopes to taste power in the national capital where it has been out of power for nearly two decades. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the party's poll campaign at Ramlila Ground where the issue of regularising illegal colonies in Delhi was projected as an 'achievement' of the BJP.

(With inputs from IANS)