"Congress party tortured agitators of Uttarakhand..." says Amit Shah after inaugurating projects worth Rs 1,271 Crore

Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) [India], July 19 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday took a strong swipe at the Congress party, accusing them of torturing agitators when the people of Uttarakhand were fighting for the demand of a state.
He inaugurated and laid foundation stones for multiple government projects worth Rs 1,271 crore by pressing the digital remote button, alongside Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Speaking during his visit to Rudrapur, Shah said, "When the people of Uttarakhand were fighting for the demand of a state, the Congress party tortured the agitators of Uttarakhand."
He credited the BJP and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the creation of the state, saying, "The work of creating Uttarakhand was done by the leader of the BJP and our then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, later, experts on state development began discussing whether the idea of small states would be successful or not. Today I want to tell everyone, Atal ji had created three states - Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. These three states started moving forward by standing on their own feet."
Shah also highlighted the government's ongoing development push in the region, announcing, "Today, five inaugurations and 14 foundation stones were laid here worth Rs 1,271 crores."
The Home Minister was also felicitated by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who joined him for the inauguration and laying of the foundation stone for various schemes under the Uttarakhand government.
A day earlier, Shah also addressed the felicitation ceremony of the Indian Police and Fire Brigade contingent, who returned after participating in the 21st World Police and Fire Games-2025 held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Union Minister expressed happiness over the Indian contingent winning 613 medals at the 21st World Police and Fire Games and congratulated the Indian police and fire services team for their excellent performance, which made the country proud. He said that the next World Police and Fire Games will be held in India.
Shah said that our aim should be to ensure that at least one athlete from every police force under the All India Police Sports Control Board participates in the next World Police and Fire Games. Our participation should be inclusive. He added that each team should aim to win at least three medals. By setting such a goal, the record of winning 613 medals will break on its own.
The Union Minister stated that the Indian team was awarded an incentive amount of Rs 4,38,85,000 today. He noted that the Police and Fire Games were previously not given much importance in the country. However, in terms of participation, this is the world's largest sporting event after the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
Shah said that nearly 10,000 athletes participate in these games, and due to the country's strong performance, it is a matter of great pride for its 1.4 billion citizens. (ANI)