Nation Wants To Know/ Congress ‘Missing The Woods For the Trees’: Amit Shah on Party's 26/11 Remark

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday weighed in on the recent controversy sparked by Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's contentious remarks regarding the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Nation Wants to Know, Shah criticized Wadettiwar's claims, asserting the importance of intellectual integrity in times of crisis. Shah reiterated that it was the efforts of the government's lawyer, Ujjwal Nikam, that led to the successful prosecution and subsequent hanging of terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Shah rebuked Wadettiwar's allegations against Nikam, labeling them as baseless and accused the Congress “missing the woods for the trees."

Wadettiwar's controversial statements alleged that an RSS-affiliated police officer, not Kasab, was responsible for the death of police official Hemant Karkare during the Mumbai attacks. Additionally, he accused Nikam of treason for allegedly suppressing this information. These accusations have stirred significant debate and drawn attention to the politicization of sensitive issues surrounding national security and terrorism.

Nikam, who served as the government's lawyer in the 26/11 case, is slated to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from Mumbai North Central.

Watch | Amit Shah Says Cong 'Missing The Woods For The Trees' | Nation Wants To Know

Here are the excerpts from Amit Shah's most explosive and headline-generating interview:

'Abki Baar 400 Paar'

Speaking with Editor-in-Chief Goswami, Shah exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will cross the mark of 400 seats in India's Lok Sabha elections in 2024. He said “Delivery record of last deceased will ensure 400 paar. India wants Narendra Modi to be the Prime Minister. Modi defeated every adversity in the last decade. No matter what the challenge is, we've come on top.”

Why Raise Shariah During the Elections?

Shah said, "Shariah days are gone, it's time for UCC." He added that whether it is an election season or not, there's no scope for Shariah law. Further calling it a 'tactic' by the Congress party, Shah said it was a way to gravitate India to where it was previously. "Congress wants religion-based laws."  The Home Minister also mentioned about Tejashwi Yadav who declared a holiday on Friday.

Shah further drawing similarities between Congress and Owaisi-led AIMIM said that both parties have the same 'vote-bank strategy.'  “Open secret to Congress for wooing vote is for Muslim Votebank.”

Amit Shah Slams Tejashwi Yadav Over His 'Sanatan Dharma' Remark

Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over his ‘How is Sanatan Dharma in Danger’ remark, recalling how the government run by the latter increased school holidays on Muslim festivals and decreased the number of holidays for Hindu festivities.

"Tejashwi and his father Lalu Prasad Yadav declared a holiday on Fridays in Bihar. How will they justify this move? School holidays in India will now be different for every state? How do they want to run the country," Shah told Republic.  

The Sanatan Dharma remark was made during an election rally in Bihar where Tejashwi Yadav said, “The Prime Minister of the country is Hindu, the President is Hindu, the Chief Ministers of all the states are Hindu, all three Army Chiefs are Hindus, yet these people are saying that religion is in danger.”

Pakistan's Love For Rahul Gandhi:

When asked about Pakistan's recent support for Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Shah said “Pakistan wants Rahul to be elected as the PM of the country. I don't have a problem with it, but what has Rahul done that Pakistan is falling over heels for him?” This comes as recently a controversy sparked after former Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry urged voters of Amethi to defeat BJP's Smriti Irani. Earlier this month, Chaudhry praised Rahul by sharing his video captioning, "Rahul on fire," where the Waynand MP could be seen attacking PM.

'Rahul Will Lose Rae Bareli With Huge Margin'

Speaking on Rahul fighting India's general elections from the Rae Bareli constituency, Amit Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi will lose Rae Bareli by a big margin. I can say this without hesitation that Rahul will lose with a huge margin in Rae Bareli. Rahul wasn't able to hold onto a seat or decide his seat when half of the elections are over. How will he hold onto an election or lead the nation?"

When asked to elaborate on Rahul's loss in the elections, Shah said, "I know the people of Rae Bareli, and I know Rahul Gandhi. He won't win from there. The BJP candidate from Rae Bareli (Dinesh Pratap Singh) will win with a huge margin."

Amit Shah Blasts TMC Govt on CAA and Sandeshkhali

Stepping up the ante against CM Banerjee for opposing the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Shah said, "I'm not saying she is anti-Hindu, but she is pro-Muslim. She is shielding her Muslim vote bank by opposing the CAA. Bengal is a border state where lakhs of infiltrators enter every day. They are welcomed by the authorities due to state government's vote-bank politics. It's a matter of concern for us. Who is doing bomb blasts? Who is responsible for poll violence? Who is opposing CAA?"  

The Union Home Minister further slammed Mamata-led TMC for its apathy towards the victims in Sandeshkhali, who accused party leaders of sexual harassment and land grab, and said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee kept shielding the main accused Sheikh Shahjahan till the end. 

While speaking during the interview, Shah reaffirmed that the BJP will secure 25 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and might also cross 30.  

Amit Shah Exposes Congress in Prajwal Revanna Case

Launching a scathing attack at the Congress party, Shah said that Congress already knew about Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna’s alleged sexually explicit tapes but chose to hide it. He alleged that Congress was trying to protect Revanna, they released the videos two days after the Vokkaliga belt voted and waited for Revanna to flee the country. He assured, “The case will affect Congress, not us. Congress definitely hid the video. Due to political reasons, losses and gains, they took the steps late.”

Congress Knew All Along That Rohith Vemula Was Not A Dalit, Still Made All Noise

Amid the ongoing controversy over the closure report into the death case of Rohith Vemula filed by Telangana Police, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that it was known to all that Vemula did not belong to the Dalit community, still the Congress party made noise around the case. Furthermore, Amit Shah mocked the opposition party's campaign on Vemula as ‘vacuous’. He said, “Congress made all the noise, but no electoral payoff. It was known to all that Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit. All sound and fury signifying nothing.”

'Desperate' Congress Exposed After Deepfake Video

Speaking about the 'deep fake morphed video' of Shah circulating on social media, the Union Home Minister said, “Congress stands exposed after the Deepfake video incident. Fortunately, there was no polling between the release of the doctored video and its debunking. As soon as the video surfaced, I promptly presented my authentic speech before the media and even local media outlets, exposing both the genuine and doctored versions to the public eye. The truth is out there, and it's widely known that the Telangana Congress is behind the deep fake clip.”

Kejriwal Will Have to Leave Office One Day, Predicts Shah

When asked about his views on jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Amit Shah said, "He will have to leave office one day," adding that he is the first person who has not resigned despite being jailed on moral grounds. Spekaing on his newly lavished bungalow constructed, Sahh said that Kejriwal demolished three houses to make a home for him. Furthermore, the Union Home Minister took a dig at Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saying that it's the most corrupt party despite being in power.