New Delhi: Amid raging row over nationalism, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday launched an all out attack on Rahul Gandhi, Congress, and others over 'anti-national' activities saying that BJP will not tolerate criticism against the country. Here are top 10 quotes from Amit Shah's speech at BJP's National Executive meeting:-
On JNU, Rahul Gandhi
1)- "In JNU, slogans were raised to destroy India. Rahul Gandhi went there and said nothing about these slogans but instead tried to justify them on the ground of freedom of expression."
On anti-national slogans
2)- "BJP welcomes any criticism of the party, person or government, but it will not tolerate criticism of the country."
3)- "While BJP fully respects freedom of expression, patently anti-national activity cannot be justified on the plea of freedom of expression. It is plainly not acceptable."
On the row over 'Bharat mata ki jai'
4)- "Bharat Mata ki Jai has been our inspiration for years."
5)- "A large number of people sacrificed their lives shouting 'Bharat mata ki jai', which is older than BJP and RSS. It was unfortunate that a controversy over it had occured so many years after independence."
6)- "99 per cent of people are in support of raising the slogan - 'Bharat mata ki jai' - and BJP will convince the remaining ones."
7)- On the recent controversy of chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" after MIM leader Asadudduin Owaisi refused to say it, Amit Shah said, "Chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is in the country since the days of independence. So, after 68 years of freedom, the country will debate whether it should be chanted or not?"
Attack on Congress, Left parties
8)- Amit Shah strongly attacked Congress, saying its main focus was to ensure that the Modi dispensation does not perform, as he hailed the Modi government for providing "corruption-free governance" and "dynasty-free leadership and giving stability and hope to people".
9)- Hitting out at the Left and Congress for their criticism of the government over freedom of expression, he said wryly that "supporters" of Maoism and Stalin were talking about it and recalled the Emergency execesses to target the main opposition party.
On Sedition, Freedom of Expression
10)- "Sedition is being camouflaged as freedom of expression. In the name of expression of freedom, the debate on anti-national slogans is being turned in another direction," Amit Shah said. Citing the Emergency, when the Congress "crushed the voices of the common people during the period", Amit Shah said that it had no right to lecture others.
