Purna Singh New Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a strong attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress during his visit to Delhi on Thursday, his birthday, asserting that the BJP would remain in power for the next 30 years and promising to eliminate the drug trade in Punjab by 2029. Addressing an event in Shyam Vihar linked to Yamuna rejuvenation projects worth ₹8,941 crore, Shah also responded to questions raised by AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about efforts to curb drug abuse in Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa.

Referring to Kejriwal’s reported remark Shah had ended drug abuse in Bihar and was now being asked to do the same in Punjab, the Home Minister said the AAP and Congress had earlier relied on excuses over the issue. “Kejriwal ji, we have answers to your questions. But we will respond when we uproot your government in Punjab,” Shah said, signalling a direct political challenge to the ruling AAP ahead of the next Assembly election in the state.

Shah also dismissed allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, claiming that the opposition was using the issue to create a narrative of vote theft. He alleged that the opposition wanted to protect the votes of infiltrators and said Rahul Gandhi and his associates had already understood the political implications. The Home Minister maintained that allegations of electoral irregularities were being used as an excuse to challenge political outcomes.

Taking aim at the Congress and other opposition parties, Shah expressed confidence that the BJP would continue to hold power for at least three decades. Citing the party’s electoral history across several states, he referred to periods of 41 years in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, 56 years in West Bengal, 64 years in Tamil Nadu, 12 years in Arunachal Pradesh, 13 years in Mizoram, 14 years in Manipur and 12 years in Assam, arguing that the BJP had not been in power in these states during those respective periods.