Vajpayee govt created J'khand; Modi developed state, wiped out

In a blistering attack on the opposition camp, BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday said the Congress and its allies have done little to develop Jharkhand, and sought to know why the Hemant Soren-led JMM could not wipe out Naxalism when it was in power.

Addressing a poll meeting here, he said it was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government that created Jharkhand, and the Narendra Modi dispensation worked for its development after burying Naxalism 20 feet under the earth.

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shah, who is also the Union home minister, said he should give an account of the development work carried out by his party.

The senior BJP leader asserted that Sahebganj in Jharkhand was once a trade corridor for countries in Asia and Europe, but "the Congress, during its rule in the state, ruined all business avenues".

"Rahul Gandhi keeps asking why we mention Kashmir (abrogation of article 370) during our rallies in the state. He is wearing Italian glasses, has no idea that youth from the state shed blood on the borders to protect country," he added.