Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, implying that the Congress party’s optimism about their performance in this year’s Lok Sabha elections is misplaced. Shah essentially said that winners take the oath of Prime Minister, not sit in the opposition chair, emphasizing that true success is measured by securing the top spot, not settling for opposition leadership.
“Rahul ‘Baba’ and his company (INDIA alliance) which also includes Mamata Banerjee. They were daydreaming and BJP won the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. BJP formed the government in Haryana for the third time in a row and we will also form the government in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. After the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul ‘Baba’ was saying in Parliament that we had defeated them (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections. I want to tell ‘Rahul Baba’ that whoever loses the election sits in the opposition and whoever wins takes oath as the Prime Minister of the country… They were mocking us after we won 240 seats, even if they combine the seats they won in 2014, 2019 and 2024, their total is less than 240,” Shah said, speaking at the inauguration of BJP’s membership drive in Kolkata.
He further asserted that from 2026, every poor of Bengal will get the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. “Today, I went to the border and some people told me there that they don’t get the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. I told them to not worry and wait till 2026. From 2026, every poor of Bengal will get the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The youth will not have to pay any bribe for jobs and education,” he said.
Shah outlined the party’s objective to secure a two-thirds majority in the next assembly elections. “We have to form the next government in Bengal in 2026 with a two-thirds majority,” he added.
Raising concerns for the safety of women in the state, Shah referred to recent incidents in Sandeshkhali and RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, asserting that these exemplify the lack of security for women in West Bengal.
“The dignity of mothers and sisters is being violated in Bengal. Incidents like Sandeshkhali and RG Kar must be stopped, which will only happen if the BJP forms a government in 2026. In 2026, we will secure a two-thirds majority in West Bengal,” he asserted.
Congress fought the election as part of the INDIA bloc and the parties together were able to prevent BJP from getting a majority on its own in Lok Sabha. The BJP-led NDA won 293 in the polls.
In the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, the BJP did not cross the majority mark, bagging 240 seats.
The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 293 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions.
