'Not even Rahul Gandhi's fourth generation...’: Amit Shah’s this fiery warning over reservations ignites political storm

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing a rally ahead of Maharashtra's November 20 assembly elections, took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, asserting that reservations meant for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) would never be extended to Muslims.

Shah remarked that the Congress’s recent discussions with Muslim clerics advocating for Muslim reservations demonstrated a lack of understanding of India's reservation policies. “If reservation were to be extended to Muslims, it would come at the expense of SC, ST, and OBC quotas. Rahul Gandhi should know that even if his fourth generation were to come, they cannot alter these quotas to include Muslims,” he said.

Addressing other hot-button issues, Shah emphatically ruled out any possibility of restoring Article 370, which previously granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “Even if Indira Gandhi were to return from heaven, Article 370 won’t be restored,” he declared.

Taking a swipe at Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde, who once expressed fear over visiting Srinagar’s Lal Chowk as Union Home Minister, Shah invited him to revisit Kashmir, emphasizing the restored peace under the Modi government: “Shinde ji, bring your grandkids and see for yourself—no harm will come to you.”

In his sharp critique of the MVA alliance, Shah called it an "Aurangzeb Fan Club" and contrasted it with the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, which he said upholds the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar. He accused MVA leader Uddhav Thackeray of abandoning his late father Bal Thackeray's principles for political gain, saying, “Uddhav ji has aligned with those who opposed renaming Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, opposed the Ram temple construction, the abolition of triple talaq, and the Article 370 revocation. They even disparage Hindus as terrorists.”

Confident of the BJP-led alliance's prospects, Shah predicted a sweeping victory in Maharashtra, asserting, “The ‘ladli behnas’ (women) of Maharashtra stand with the lotus. We will form the next government with an unprecedented majority.”

Shah also addressed public discontent over the Waqf Board’s recent moves, specifically in Karnataka, where entire villages, temples, farmland, and homes were reportedly designated as Waqf properties. He criticized the opposition from Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar to proposed amendments in the Waqf Act and assured the crowd, “Prime Minister Modi will ensure the Waqf Act is amended to prevent such abuses.”

Turning to economic achievements, Shah lauded Modi’s leadership, which he claimed lifted India’s economy from 11th to 5th place in global rankings, promising, “By 2027, India will be the third-largest economy in the world.”