 "Congress responsible for 'appeasement politics' in Chhattisgarh: Amit Shah")
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked voters in Chhattisgarh to remove the Congress from office in the Assembly elections in order to prevent communal violence in the state.
Shah blamed the Congress for "appeasement politics" for the lynching of a young man in Chhattisgarh's Biranpur village in April.
During an event in Rajnandgaon on Monday, the union home minister said, "The Congress will continue with its politics of appeasement if it wins the election again in Chhattisgarh."
The communal clashes in Biranpur village, adjacent to Rajnandgaon, resulted in the killing of 23-year-old Bhuneshwar Sahu on April 8, and a man and his son — Rahim Mohammad (55) and Idul (34) — were killed two days later.
Shah said, "I assure you that his (Sahu) sacrifice will not be in vain. We will ensure that his murderers face justice. We have given the ticket to his father." The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominated the victim's father, Ishwar Sahu, for the Saja Assembly seat.
Blaming the Congress government for alleged corruption, Shah said, "Tell us what you have given to Chhattisgarh besides scams. The Congress has turned Chhattisgarh into a hub of corruption."
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The union home minister said that Chhattisgarh was being used as an "ATM" by the Congress, and only the Gandhi family is satisfied with the Baghel-led government as funds meant for the youth, tribals, and Dalits are being "redirected to pamper the Delhi Darbar".
He added that Chhattisgarh was the first state to provide 150 days of employment to the poor, and former Chief Minister Raman Singh helped free farmers from a 14 per cent interest rate. He said, "On the other hand, the Baghel government has been involved in Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam, a coal scam worth over Rs 500 crore, and a scandal related to cow dung and the Mahadev App."