Union Minister Amit Shah argued that neither Congress leader Rahul Gandhi nor his future generations could reinstate Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the rally in support of Mahayuti Alliance candidates Sudhir Gadgil and Sanjay Kaka Patil, Shah said, “From this land Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I tell you Rahul baba, neither you nor your fourth generation will be able to take back Article 370. Every child of this country is ready to fight for Kashmir.”

Speaking at a campaign rally for the assembly elections in Sangli, Maharashtra, Shah criticized the Congress for supporting the National Conference’s push to restore Article 370. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution earlier this week demanding the restoration of the special status. , but Shah made it clear that such a move would never happen under the current government.

Shah targeted opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, and others, who had opposed the abrogation of Article 370. “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to revoke Article 370, I introduced bills in Parliament, but Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Stalin all opposed it.They warned against a removal of the article 370 would lead to bloodshed in Kashmir. But there were no rivers of blood, and no one even dared to throw a stone,” he said.

The home minister also drew a contrast between the security situation under the Congress-led UPA government and the measures taken under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. “During the government of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, terrorist attacks were frequent. But after Modi became prime minister, incidents like Uri and Pulwama led to surgical strikes that wiped out terrorists across the border,” he said.

Shah also criticized Rahul Gandhi for using the Constitution as a political prop during his election rallies. “The Constitution is not meant to drive an electoral agenda. It is about trust. But these people are using it to bluff and seek votes. Gandhi distributed copies of the Constitution at meetings, but the insides were blank – an insult to the Constitution, Babasaheb Ambedkar and the people of India, said Shah.

He challenged Rahul to clarify whether the copy of the constitution he was holding when he took the oath as an MP was real or fake.

Shah also addressed the Congress leader’s recent comments on reservations, saying, “Rahul Gandhi recently said that the country does not need reservations. But as long as the Modi government is in power, no one will dare to touch the Constitution. Reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs will remain intact .”

Taking aim at Sharad Pawar, Shah pointed out that the NCP leader had not visited Ayodhya after the Ram temple was built, suggesting that he cared about vote banks over religious sentiments.

In a separate rally at Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur, Shah projected that the upcoming assembly elections would be a choice between two distinct paths: one shown by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the other by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. “You have to decide whether you want to follow those who equated Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria, or those who stand firm in its support. Whether you want to follow those who denied the existence of Lord Ram or those who worked to build Ram Mandir, Shah said.

He also criticized some sections of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance for opposing the renaming of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, calling out leaders like Uddhav Thackeray for opposing the proposal.

Shah also recalled Congress veteran Sushil Kumar Shinde’s comments about feeling scared in Kashmir. “I would tell him, take your grandchildren to Kashmir today – nothing will happen to them. Rahul Gandhi is now riding a motorcycle and playing snowball fights in Kashmir, thanks to the abrogation of Article 370,” Shah said, highlighting the improvement in security and access since the special status was revoked.

(With inputs from PTI)