'No guts to throw a stone in Kashmir': Amit Shah mocks Rahul Gandhi

Udaipur (Rajasthan), April 20: Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Rajasthan's Udaipur on Friday evening, hours after voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded.

During the roadshow, Shah couldn't resist a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mocking him over his past predictions of turmoil in Kashmir.

"In Kashmir, (Peoples Democratic Party chief) Mehbooba Mufti and (Congress leader) Rahul Baba (Gandhi) used to say there would be bloodbath here once Article 370 is removed," he said while addressing a gathering.

"Rahul Baba, five years have passed (since the abrogation of Article 370). This is the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leave alone the talk of the bloodbath, no one has the guts to throw a stone there," Amit Shah said.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah also addressed a public meeting in Rajasthan's Pali.

The 25 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan are polling in two phases. While polling for 12 seats concluded on Friday in the first phase, the remaining 13 seats in the state will be contested in the second phase on April 26.

In 2019, the BJP registered a sweeping victory, winning 24 out of 25 seats, while the remaining one seat was won by Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party candidate Hanuman Beniwal.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah filed his nomination for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Shah, who is eyeing a second consecutive term, is pitted against Sonal Patel, fielded by the Congress party. The former BJP president won the 2019 elections with a huge margin of 5.55 lakh votes, defeating Congress' CJ Chavda, who later joined the BJP.

All 26 seats in Gujarat go to the polls in a single phase on May 7. The BJP whitewashed the 2014 and 2019 general elections by winning all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The first phase of voting for 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories was held on Friday.

The Lok Sabha polls will be held in India in seven phases to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4.

The second phase will be held on April 26, and the remaining phases will be on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, accordingly. The last general elections in 2019 were also held in seven phases.