'Mahagatbandhan' exposes opposition's fear of BJP: Rajnath

Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going to retain power in 2019, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the opposition's attempt to forge a 'mahagatbandhan' (grand alliance) shows how other parties fear the BJP.

"I think everybody (opposition) is afraid of the fact that the BJP is again going to form its government. So they are attempting to forge a 'mahagatbandhan'. It is the fear of his party's successes that has made them come together.

"The coming Lok Sabha election is not a challenge for the BJP. We are going to form the next government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People of the country are with us," Singh said after laying the foundation stone for a Kendriya Vidyalaya at a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) camp.

His remarks came in the wake of opposition's mega rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last week.

The Minister said there has been no allegation of any "serious corruption" in the last four-and-half years against the Modi government. The BJP has a strong and popular leader in Modi and the common man has faith in the party, he added.

Attacking the Congress, he said: "You know the situation of the past Congress governments (on corruption issue)."

Asked about fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi surrendering his Indian citizenship in favour of Antigua & Barbuda Isles in the West Indies, the Minister said: "He will be brought to India for sure. No one will be spared."

Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, is charged with conniving with bank officials to dupe the Punjab National Bank of around Rs 13,500 crore-plus by issuing fake Letters of Undertakings (LoUs) to their group companies through the bank's flagship Brady House branch in Mumbai.

The Minister further praised information technocrats for their contribution to nation building, but at the same time mentioned that a few "misguided youth however are using these very skills for anti-social activities by being influenced by extremist groups such as the Al-Qaeda".

To fight with the menace, Singh called upon the teachers to impart the right values and moral education to the students besides academic subjects.

On the occasion, the Minister said this Kendriya Vidyalaya will facilitate the educational requirements of wards of around 6,000 paramilitary personnel posted in three adjacent campuses of the CISF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The estimated cost of this Kendriya Vidyalaya is approximately Rs 22 crore, said CISF officials, adding that this institution would have 45 sections for classes up to 12th.

--IANS

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