Haridwar, March 7 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday addressed a large public gathering in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar during the ‘Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar: Char Saal Bemisaal’ programme, marking four years of the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government in the state.

Speaking at the event, HM Shah said the occasion marked the completion of four years of the Dhami government and nine years of the BJP-led administration in Uttarakhand.

“Today, the Dhami government completed its four-year tenure. Along with this, the BJP-led government has also completed its nine-year tenure in the state. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came here to commence the celebrations of 25 years of Uttarakhand,” he said.

Recalling the statehood movement, the Home Minister said Uttarakhand had once struggled for recognition and identity.

“There was a time when this ‘Devbhoomi’ was struggling for its rights, demanding a different state and identity. Uttarakhand’s youth had come to the ground to save the culture of the state. At that time, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party orchestrated intolerable atrocities on the youth of the state. Several were shot; they sacrificed themselves. The people of Uttarakhand have not yet forgotten the Rampur Tiraha incident,” he said.

Shah credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the creation of Uttarakhand, recalling the political debates that took place when smaller states were formed.

“I would like to remind everyone that at that time, senior BJP leader and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had worked to form Uttarakhand. The so-called intellectuals of the Congress party used to question how ‘small states’ would work out and how their economies would survive. Atal ji had formed three small states — Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh — and today, all of them are moving forward on the path of development,” he said.

Referring to his earlier visit to the state after the BJP formed the government, HM Shah said the party had pledged to carry forward Vajpayee’s vision for Uttarakhand.

“When the BJP government was formed nine years ago, I had visited the state and had announced, ‘Atal ji formed Uttarakhand, Modi ji will take it forward on the path of progress’,” he said.

Calling the nine years of BJP rule as “years of Uttarakhand’s development,” HM Shah also praised the Dhami government for addressing the concerns and challenges faced by the people of the state.

During the programme, he announced that the government had initiated development projects worth Rs 1,132 crore in Uttarakhand.

Speaking about legal reforms and the implementation of new criminal laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Shah said the government aimed to ensure faster justice.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, all old laws were scrapped, and the BNS has been introduced. By the year 2028, there will be complete implementation of all laws. After that, if anyone files an FIR in a police station, the legal procedure till the Supreme Court will be completed within the next three years. Now, justice will be served promptly,” he said.

The Home Minister also highlighted employment initiatives in the state and said that around 1,900 youths had been recruited as police Constables.

“I want to ask all the young people, if the Congress were in power, would you have gotten these jobs? A slip would have been required, and there would have been expenses. Both. Now, no recommendation is needed, no bribes have to be paid. The old mother’s son, who lives in the mountains, is returning home today after getting a job without any recommendation. This is what governance is. The anti-cheating law enacted by Dhami ji has brought a kind of transparency to the employment sector,” he said.

He also referred to the issue of citizenship for religious minorities from neighbouring countries, accusing earlier governments of denying them rights due to appeasement politics.

“Due to appeasement politics, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan had been denied citizenship since Independence,” he said.

“They (refugees) have equal right to stay in this nation as Narendra Modi has… They have come to our country as refugees after enduring immense torture. To save their religion, to protect the honour of the women in their families, will India not grant them citizenship? Rahul Baba, protest as much as you want, we will grant citizenship; you cannot stop us,” he said, targeting Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

Referring to recent electoral victories of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Shah expressed confidence about the party’s future prospects.

“In the 2024 general elections, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country for the third time, for the third-consecutive time. In 2024 itself, a BJP leader became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time, the party scored a hat-trick in Haryana and Maharashtra, and then in 2025, the AAP was wiped out in Delhi,” he said.

Rallying the electorate for the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections, Shah said, “A government was formed with a two-thirds majority. For the first time, the BJP’s saffron flag was hoisted in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. We also won in Maharashtra. In 2026, the BJP and NDA governments will be formed in Bengal and Tamil Nadu. But you, the people of Devbhoomi, have to inaugurate 2027. In 2027, we have to form a full-majority BJP government again,” he added.

–IANS

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