Dehradun, Nov 6 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused the Congress of not making roads in border areas of Uttarakhand and stalling several developmental works "in the fear of Chinese intrusion". The Home Minister made the remarks while addressing the 'Uttarakhand Rajyotsav Samaroh' here. Remembering former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the occasion, HM Shah said: "For years, the people of the hills struggled for the formation of the state of Uttarakhand. However, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress committed numerous atrocities against the youth to prevent the formation of Uttarakhand. On November 9, 2000, by establishing the state of Uttarakhand, Atal ji turned a long-standing demand into a reality. I pay tribute to all those who lost their lives during the long struggle for the creation of Uttarakhand."

Asserting that the BJP has played a pivotal role in the creation of Uttarakhand, he said: "While Atal ji created Uttarakhand, PM Modi has carried out beautification of the state." "We resolve that by 2047, Uttarakhand will be the first state to become developed as part of the journey towards 'Viksit Bharat'. We must fulfil the dreams of those who sacrificed their lives for the motherland, preserve our cultural heritage and environment, and ensure that the youth follow the path of patriotism and valour," the Home Minister added. Expressing confidence that the BJP will form government for the third time in the state, Amit Shah targeted the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

"Rahul (Gandhi) ji, your tours to the state will not make any difference. Our party workers are tirelessly working day and night to resolve the problems of 'Devbhoomi's people. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami is actively driving development in Uttarakhand by focusing on key initiatives." Citing that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has grown by 50 per cent since 2022, he said: "We have worked to increase the per capita income of every citizen in Uttarakhand by 40 per cent. Industrial projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore have already hit the ground, and work on them has begun in the state, despite several industrial challenges in the state."

Referring to the implementation of the UCC, HM Shah asserted that no one in the state can marry four times and no woman can be given 'Triple Talaq' in Uttarakhand. "We will slowly implement UCC in all the BJP-ruled states," he asserted. He added: "We have made the anti-cheating law so stringent here that courts would not face any issues in punishing those indulging in paper leaks." He also credited the CM Dhami-led BJP government for launching the anti-conversion law in the state. Questioning previous Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat, he said: "Did you carry out any such kind of work during your tenure that the people of the state might remember? Instead, the only work (Congress) did was to stop the formation of Uttarakhand."

"Now the people of the state will have to decide whether they want to vote for the BJP, which brought development into the state or for Rahul baba's government that was embroiled in corruption," he said. HM Shah alleged that during its regime, the Congress left the state as a 'money order economy' and made policies "that won't benefit the people". "They (Congress) used to say that if roads are made, China will attempt to make intrusions. But we did build roads, and PM Modi built the country in a way that today no one will dare to touch India's borders," the Home Minister underlined.

Without naming Pakistan, he asserted that whoever did so was answered with surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor, "where the Modi government eliminated enemies in their own territories". Further, he accused the previous Congress government of keeping the state away from development "in fear of intrusion", while asserting that PM Modi transformed the border villages into the first village of the country. Meanwhile, referring to the SIR exercise, HM Shah said: "Rahul Gandhi's "Voter Adhikar Yatra" is instead "Ghuspathiya Bhachao Yatra". Rahul ji your fake narrative won't be tolerated by citizens." Expressing optimism for the next year's Assembly elections, he said: "There are many states where the BJP has made a hat-trick (in winning Assembly polls), next in line is Uttarakhand."

--IANS