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New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday recalled the creation of Chhattisgarh by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, drawing a contrast with former PM Manmohan Singh, emphasising that “a political party without an ideology cannot develop the country.”
Addressing the Conclave On Book “Chhattisgarh @ 25: Shifting The Lens” event, Shah recalled that protests for the creation of Chhattisgarh, along with Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, were ongoing during the Congress tenure.
“When there were movements for Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand, the Congress government was in power. They used to say that the opposition had no issues, so they were demanding the creation of new states. They used to say, ‘How will these small states function?” the Union Home Minister said.
Highlighting that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee brought the creation of Chhattisgarh to fruition, he said, “The protests kept happening, but when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the PM, he decided that the small states experiment is not just an experiment, but it’s about fulfilling the desire of their citizens.”
Shah further stated that many people view governance as only an administrative process and explained the difference with an example.
“Today I have an example. In three decades, there are two examples, one BJP-NDA chosen PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the second was UPA chosen Dr Manmohan Singh. In both of their terms, state division happened,” Shah said.
“During Atal Ji’s time, 3 states were divided to form 3 separate states, and during Manmohan Singh’s time, 1 state was divided to form another separate state,” he further added.
Drawing a contrast between the state division process during both PM tenures, he stated, “When 3 states were divided during Atal Ji’s time, everything happened smoothly in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. On the other hand, when Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were divided during Manmohan Singh’s time. In the Lok Sabha, all Andhra Pradesh leaders were kept out to pass the law. There are still many problems between the two states.”
Shah emphasised the importance of ideology in politics, noting that those who treat it only as an administrative process create situations such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“A political party without an ideology cannot develop the country,” he said. (ANI)
