'Public will punish them in elections': Amit Shah on Opposition's personal attacks on PM Modi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the public should punish the Opposition in elections for carrying out personal attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In an exclusive interview with Network 18 Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Shah described such personal attacks as “low-level politics" that erode the foundations of India’s democracy. He said that as the Opposition cannot criticise the government on corruption, it resorts to personal attacks.

“Such low-level politics is like a termite in democracy. It eats away at the very roots. Those who use such language and encourage such politics should be punished by the people," said Shah.

The remarks come days after an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video published by Congress, which featured Modi’s deceased mother, created a storm. The BJP called it “shameful” and its ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) called it an “extremely vile act”.

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Shah further said, “If any person engages in corrupt conduct, that is not a private matter, it is a public matter, and it is the duty of the Opposition to expose corruption. But because they cannot find corruption, they resort to baseless talk, abusive words, and, as you mentioned, even making remarks about Modi ji’s mother. This will not strengthen our democratic politics. Such people should indeed be punished in elections."

Shah further criticised the Opposition for not allowing the parliament to function. He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was also in the Opposition and it also criticised the government of the day but it did not hamper the functioning of the parliament. He said that the people need to decide whether the parliament’s time should be wasted on “political theatrics" or devoted to substantive issues.

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“Prime Minister Modi has always insisted on upholding the multi-party parliamentary democratic system, ensuring parliamentary purity and discipline," said Shah.