Amit Shah says Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple showed India’s secularism

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday tore into Rahul Gandhi for questioning PM Narendra Modi's caste, saying the former Congress president has a habit of "telling lies" while also highlighting the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah also spoke about the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The Union home minister said the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Mandir showed how secular India is. "SC verdict on Ram temple showed India's secularism, nowhere else majority community fought legally so long for its faith," Amit Shah said.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and our leader PM Modi do what they say; we always stood for Ram temple construction. Consecration of Ram temple ended long agitation since 1528 and legal fight since 1858," Amit Shah said while stressing that January 22, the day of 'Pran Pratishthan' ceremony of the Ram temple, was the beginning of a "journey of a great India".

Amit Shah also lambasted Rahul Gandhi saying the Central government had included PM Modi's caste in the central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list in 2000 while the Congress government in Gujarat had included his caste in the OBC list in 1994.

During his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on February 8, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that PM Modi is “not an OBC by birth”. "Narendra Modi is not OBC by birth, he has been made OBC by the BJP government of Gujarat. He can never do justice to the rights and share of the backward people" Rahul Gandhi had claimed.

Responding to his allegations, Amit Shah said, “Rahul Gandhi has habit of telling lies and repeating lies. It is unfortunate there is debate on caste of great leader like PM Modi. Centre included PM Narendra Modi's caste in central OBC list in 2000.” “At that time, Modi was not MP, MLA nor even sarpanch. Congress govt in Gujarat included PM Narendra Modi's caste in OBC list in 1994,” PTI quoted Amit Shah as saying.

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Amit Shah said, “It was PM Modi who gave constitutional recognition to OBCs, set up OBC commission, gave quota to OBCs in central exams. Congress should say what did it do for OBCs. It didn't implement Kaka Kalelkar and Mandal Commission reports for years.”

(With agency inputs)