Lucknow, Oct 30 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday stated that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP-led NDA forms the government for the third time following the 2027 Assembly polls. HM Shah made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration of the BJP's state executive committee meeting in Lucknow, as part of preparations for the Assembly elections. UP BJP President and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, both Deputy Chief Ministers, and other senior party leaders were present at the event.

Addressing the meeting, Amit Shah urged party workers to set aside personal grievances and ambitions, strengthen the organization, and consider the next Assembly election as their own battle. Launching a sharp attack on Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, he said the BJP would answer the LoP's “meaningless statements” by forming the government again in 2027. Shah also hit out at the Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying: "Today was the day when unarmed Ram devotees and kar sevaks were fired upon indiscriminately in Ayodhya during the then SP government and the water of the Saryu river turned red with their blood."

He questioned the SP, asking how he can stake a claim to form the government in the state again? Further, HM Shah warned that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is "Angad's leg," which the opposition parties cannot shake, referring to the Hindu Mythological figure in the Ramayana. The Home Minister also recalled the contribution of former UP CM late Kalyan Singh, saying that the latter had taken a historic decision for the Ram Temple movement "without caring about his government then".

Further targeting the Congress and the SP, he said that under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership, "SP had been losing elections continuously, while the Congress under Rahul Gandhi had failed to return to power". "If the opposition continued on the same path, it would remain out of power for a long time," he remarked. Maintaining that the government's achievements are important, Amit Shah stressed that the BJP's greatest strength is its cadre. "The Centre and the state government have undertaken extensive developmental work, and it is now the responsibility of the party organization to communicate these achievements to the public," he said.

Expressing confidence in BJP workers, Shah said not only in Uttar Pradesh but across India, the BJP would remain politically strong for the next 30 years. Further, he praised the Yogi Adityanath government for working towards improving the law-and-order situation in UP and its efforts to attract investment. "Even if the work done during the Samajwadi Party and BSP governments were combined, it would still fall short of what the Yogi government had achieved in a single term," he asserted while adding that the Narendra Modi-led central government had ensured adequate funds for Uttar Pradesh's development, and Chief Minister Adityanath had implemented central schemes with "full commitment".

While lashing out at the Opposition, HM Shah credited CM Adityanath for taking "effective action" to eliminate the mafia network in the state. Moreover, Amit Shah declared that if the BJP forms the government in Uttar Pradesh for a third time, the UCC will be implemented in the state. Referring to the abrogation of Article 370, he said: "The BJP had fulfilled its promise and that no major violence had occurred during the process," while reiterating the government's goal of making India drug-free by December 2029.

Shah claimed that riot incidents in Uttar Pradesh had declined by 70 per cent since the BJP-led NDA came to power and asked party workers to explain to the public the challenges the state might face if it goes out of power. Meanwhile, responding to opposition allegations of "vote theft", Shah said that after suffering repeated electoral defeats, the opposition was now blaming the Election Commission for its failures. Asserting that the BJP was ready to discuss the issue in Parliament, the Home Minister challenged the Opposition to a "special session" where every allegation could be examined and answered.

Referring to BJP's recent Lok Sabha and Assembly election performances, Shah said that while the opposition had become "complacent" about electoral numbers, the BJP had strengthened its position in several states. He cited the party's first government in Odisha, victories in Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Assam, and its return to power in Delhi after a long gap. Recalling the period when former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi was in power, HM Shah said that while the BJP was once mocked, it has transformed those challenges into strengths. "Today, Narendra Modi has become Prime Minister for a third consecutive term, and the National Democratic Alliance governs 22 states," he underlined.

Further referring to the 2014 and 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh, Amit Shah noted that in 2014, the BJP had only a limited number of MLAs in the state, prompting him to work at the tehsil level to strengthen the organization. "As a result, the BJP won 73 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with 41 per cent of votes," he mentioned.

--IANS