Lok Sabha elections 2024 | Will India run on Sharia?: Amit Shah criticises Congress manifesto

Union Home Minister Amit Shah severely criticised the Congress party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to the news agency ANI, Union Home Minister Shah said on Friday (Apr 26) that following the release of the Congress manifesto, people's inclination towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)increased further as the opposition party repeatedits old habit of appeasement in its manifesto.

"The Congress manifesto speaks of taking personal law forward. Iwould liketo ask Rahul Gandhi, Will this country now work as per Sharia?" Shah asked."Our Constitution is secular,lawsof the land can't be formedbased on religion," he added.

The Union home minister further highlighted that the Modi government scrapped Triple Talaq and started UCC (Uniform Civil Code)andthe government would take this forward. "Rahul Gandhi speaks of personal law, whichis about dividingthe country.Personal laws can't be implementedin this country.I am confident that we will see Narendra Modi as the prime minister of the countryfor the third time," he further told ANI.

Shah's remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi came under fire for hisremarksafter he suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims.

"The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom - Manmohan Singh's government had said that Muslims have the first right to the country's assets," PM Modi said during a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara last week.

"Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right to the country's assets.Thismeans to whom will this property be distributed?It will be distributedamong those who have more children. "It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?" he added.

Also watch |Lok Sabha elections 2024: Is Congress pitching for inheritance tax amid wealth redistribution row?

Modi's remarks triggered widespread criticism by opposition parties. The Congress had approached the Election Commission of India (ECI)demanding action over Modi's claim.

Meanwhile,the BJP alleged that Gandhi was making a false claim about the rise in poverty in the country and urged the EC to take "strict action" against him.The BJP also accused Gandhi of continuing to create a North-South divide in the country on the basis of language and region to vitiate the poll atmosphere.

On Thursday, the ECItook cognizance of the allegedModel Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by Modi and Gandhiand asked them to give responses byApril 29.

(With inputs from agencies)