Daijiworld Media Network - Dehradun
Dehradun, Nov 7: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set an ambitious target of winning at least 65 of Uttarakhand's 70 Assembly seats in next year's elections, calling on BJP workers to reach every household and strengthen the party's grassroots presence to secure a third consecutive victory in the state.
Addressing an event marking Uttarakhand's 26th Foundation Day on Friday, Shah described the state as an important milestone in India's journey towards becoming a developed nation. He urged party workers to work towards the target of crossing 65 seats, recalling that the BJP had won 57 seats in 2017 and 47 in 2022.
Shah also inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones for 62 development works worth a total of Rs 1,475.31 crore. He said the BJP was committed to making Uttarakhand a secure and prosperous state and transforming Devbhoomi into the cultural capital of the country.
Taking aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Bachao' campaign, Shah described it as a 'Ghuspathiya Bachao' rally and called for the removal of alleged infiltrators from electoral rolls and the country. He also criticised the Congress, claiming that the party advocates the establishment of a Muslim university whenever it comes to power.
Addressing Rahul Gandhi directly, Shah said attempts to gain political mileage through visits to Uttarakhand would not succeed, as BJP workers were continuously working to address the concerns of people across the state.
He claimed that tourism in Uttarakhand had registered 380 per cent growth and said the government was working to transform the state's traditional 'money-order economy' into an industrial economy by encouraging investment and employment opportunities.
Referring to the 2016 surgical strikes, the 2019 Balakot airstrikes and Operation Sindoor in 2025, Shah said the Narendra Modi government had strengthened India's border security and demonstrated its resolve to respond to threats. He also highlighted development works worth Rs 270 crore being undertaken in 51 border villages under the Vibrant Villages Programme, adding that efforts were being made to check migration from remote areas.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami criticised the Congress over its allegations concerning electronic voting machines and the electoral process. He said some political leaders questioned the credibility of elections only after losing them and claimed that people of Uttarakhand would no longer be misled by the Opposition's allegations.
Dhami also accused the Congress of insulting National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who hails from Uttarakhand. His remarks referred to Rahul Gandhi's comments ahead of the INDIA bloc's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in which Gandhi had named Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Gyanesh Kumar and Doval as 'villains of this story'.
The chief minister also questioned the Congress over its silence on remarks allegedly made by its INDIA bloc ally and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav about the people of Uttarakhand.
Highlighting his government's record, Dhami claimed that more than 100 members of the examination-cheating mafia had been sent to jail and over 35,000 young people had secured government jobs. He said recruitment examinations had been conducted without cheating or corruption.