Uttarakhand: Amit Shah slams Rahul Gandhi over ‘Save Infiltrators’ campaign, alleges Congress-backed demographic change

Union Home Minister says BJP will remove illegal mazars and madrasas, pledges to make Devbhoomi a secure, prosperous and cultural capital of Bharat; sets target of winning more than 65 seats in the next Assembly election Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Congress of pursuing appeasement politics, encouraging infiltration and implementing policies that could alter Uttarakhand’s demographic composition. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Bachao Yatra’ was actually aimed at protecting infiltrators rather than safeguarding voters, asserting that every infiltrator must be identified and expelled from Devbhoomi and Bharat. Addressing a gathering in Uttarakhand on November 6, Shah questioned the Congress’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and challenged the people to decide whether the state’s voter lists should be made free of infiltrators. “Rahul Baba is taking out a ‘Save the Vote’ Yatra. Rahul ji’s yatra is not a Save the Vote Yatra; it is a ‘Save the Infiltrators’ Yatra,” Shah said, asking the gathering whether every infiltrator should be expelled from Uttarakhand and the country. He accused the Congress of following appeasement policies, alleging that its government had even proposed a holiday on Fridays for Friday prayers while opposing the construction of the Ram Temple. He further alleged that the party had encouraged infiltration and pursued policies leading to demographic changes. Taking the attack further, Shah said the BJP would not allow illegal encroachments to remain in Uttarakhand and promised to remove illegal mazars and madrasas. Referring to the reclamation of 29 acres of land in Haldwani, he said Rahul Gandhi was unhappy with the action but asserted that the BJP would never permit illegal encroachments to continue. चार धाम, प्राकृतिक सौंदर्य, मेहनतकश लोगों और समृद्ध लोकसंस्कृति से संपन्न देवभूमि वासियों की अलग राज्य की माँग को सपा-कांग्रेस की सरकारें टालती रहीं, वहीं भाजपा ने अलग उत्तराखंड राज्य बनाकर यहाँ की संभावनाओं और सामर्थ्य को नई ऊर्जा दी। आज देहरादून में उत्तराखंड राज्योत्सव समारोह… pic.twitter.com/EaK7TNfO80 — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 6, 2026 “Rahul Baba, we will never allow illegal encroachments to remain. This is our resolve,” he declared. Shah said the BJP wanted to transform Uttarakhand into a secure and prosperous border state and establish Devbhoomi as the cultural capital of the country. He sought a third consecutive mandate for the BJP to achieve these three objectives. BJP’s development record versus Congress’s alleged appeasement politics Contrasting the BJP’s decade-long governance with the Congress’s tenure, Shah accused the latter of leaving Uttarakhand dependent on a money-order economy and migration. He said the Congress had formulated policies under which neither the water nor the youth of the mountains benefited the state. The BJP, he said, had attempted to reverse migration by establishing an industrial economy that generated wealth locally. He cited a 380 per cent increase in tourism and the development of infrastructure, connectivity and employment opportunities as evidence of the state’s progress. Shah said the state’s Gross State Domestic Product had increased by 50 per cent since 2022 and per capita income had risen by 40 per cent. Referring to the Global Investment Summit, he recalled that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had handed him investment proposals worth Rs 3.56 lakh crore for announcement. Initially, he had questioned whether the proposed investments would materialise or remain confined to paper. However, after reviewing the figures, he said investments worth Rs 1 lakh crore had already reached the ground and industries had started operations. राहुल गांधी कितना भी पर्यटन कर लें, उत्तराखंड में भी भाजपा सरकार जीत की हैट्रिक लगाएगी। pic.twitter.com/PNXAvysjCx — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 6, 2026 Despite Uttarakhand’s geographical and industrial challenges, the Dhami government had succeeded in bringing these investments to fruition, he said, congratulating the BJP government. UCC, anti-conversion law and 35,000 government jobs Shah highlighted Uttarakhand’s implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), describing it as the first state in the country to bring the legislation into effect. Questioning the opposition to the legislation, he asked whether anyone should be permitted to marry four times and whether triple talaq should be allowed. He said the UCC ensured that women could not be subjected to humiliation through practices such as triple talaq. He added that 15 states had moved towards framing or implementing similar legislation following Uttarakhand’s example and that the BJP intended to introduce the UCC in all BJP-ruled states. He also cited the state’s stringent anti-cheating law, which provides for action against examination malpractice, paper leaks and those facilitating cheating. Shah said 35,000 people had secured government jobs without recommendations or paying even a single paisa. The implementation of the anti-conversion law was another achievement he highlighted, asserting that the BJP government had taken steps to prevent forced and unlawful religious conversions. Infrastructure push and border security Listing the BJP government’s development initiatives, Shah referred to the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, Char Dham All-Weather Road, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line, proposed Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line and ropeway projects connecting Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib. He also mentioned the Song and Jamrani multi-purpose dam projects, drinking water, irrigation and energy initiatives, 30 per cent reservation for women, 33.3 per cent reservation for women in cooperative societies, three lakh Lakhpati Didis and the homestay scheme. The government had increased the ex-gratia compensation for the families of martyrs from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh and provided 10 per cent reservation for Uttarakhand statehood movement activists, he said. Other initiatives included the AIIMS satellite centre in Kichha, an industrial smart city, the development of 51 border villages under the Vibrant Villages Programme with an allocation of Rs 270 crore, the House of Himalayas initiative and the Millet Mission to promote local mountain products. Targeting the Congress over border infrastructure, Shah said its governments had resisted road construction in border areas under the pretext that improved connectivity would facilitate Chinese incursions. “They used to say that if roads were constructed, China would enter the country and the enemy would come inside. We built roads, and Modi ji has also […]