By Elton Gomes
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated its founder’s day with a huge rally in Mumbai, maintaining a focus on the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The party held its foundation day event at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ground, and booked 28 trains to bring in party workers from across the state. Additionally, 50,000 private buses and vehicles ushered in more BJP supporters.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve-Patil and other top party functionaries were present at the rally.
The highlight of the rally was BJP President Amit Shah’s speech, in which slew out several jibes against the opposition. During his speech, Shah claimed that BJP would never do away with reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST).
“BJP will never end the reservation policy” – Amit Shah
Shah said that the government will not scrap the reservation policy, nor will it allow anyone to do so. His remarks came in light of recent changes in the SC/ST Act, which was claimed to be a dilution of the Act.
“Rahul and (NCP chief Sharad) Pawar, listen. BJP will never end the reservation policy. And even if you want to end the reservation, BJP will never allow it,” Shah said, the Mumbai Mirror reported. Shah said to the roughly three lakh BJP workers that the reservation policy was a party commitment”.
Bringing to mind the BJP’s founders, Shah reiterated the government’s stance: “Our founders always said that we are in politics not to enjoy power but to bring the poor & downtrodden into mainstream of development.”
Our founders always said that we are in politics not to enjoy power but to bring the poor & downtrodden into mainstream of development. Today PM Modi is working to realise the same which can also be seen in every scheme of Modi govt with focus on financially & socially deprived. pic.twitter.com/tVH7YZQflU
Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 6, 2018
Taking a sharp jibe at the opposition party, Shah likened them to ’snakes’, ‘mongoose’, ‘dogs’ and ‘cats’. His comments come as the Opposition continues to make efforts to form an anti-BJP coalition.
Shah went on to say that when a flood occurs, all animals come together to take shelter: I have heard that whenever floods happen, all the animals come together. Similarly, all these animals like cats, dogs, snakes and mongoose are coming together to fight the Modi flood.
The BJP president then went on to slam the Opposition for disrupting the budget session of the Parliament.
Mumbai comes to a halt
The BJP Yuva Morcha carried out a 3-kilometre long bike rally to welcome the BJP President. Up to 25,000 local BJP workers were a part of the rally, along with 10,000 bikers, and several car drivers.
The rally led to several traffic snarls on the Western Express Highway. Although Harshal Mantri, the Yuva Morcha secretary, said that the rally was held in the last lane, and that party workers helped motorists, several commuters were seen leaving their cabs and walking.
An irate woman who was on her way to board a flight to Bangalore was seen rushing to the airport. She told the Indian Express: “This is such a nuisance for the public. I am from Bangalore and I work in Mumbai. I have a flight to catch as I go home to my daughter every weekend. I have been caught up in this traffic for an hour.”