Taking a jibe at his political rivals ahead of the high-octane Delhi assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday slammed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his remark on BJP leaders taking a holy dip at the Sangam and said the Congress under Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had always insulted Sanatan Dharma. He accused AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal of falsely alleging that the Haryana government mixed poison in the Yamuna, daring him to make public the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) report that he cited to level the charge.

Addressing a public meeting in the Kalkaji assembly constituency, he took a swipe at Kharge and said, “I took a dip (at Triveni Sangam) and Kharge ji caught a cold.”

At the Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan rally in the Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, Kharge had alleged that BJP leaders were competing with each other to take a dip at the Sangam for the cameras, and asked if their act would help eradicate poverty in the country. “If anyone was hurt, I seek an apology,” the Congress chief had also said.

Reacting to the remark, Shah urged Kharge not to poke fun at the reverence of crores of people visiting the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj to take a holy dip at the Sangam. “Kharge ji, if you do not have any reverence (for Maha Kumbh), there is no compulsion. But don’t make fun of the reverence of more than 48 crore people visiting the Kumbh to take a holy dip,” he said.

“The Congress under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has always insulted Sanatan Dharma,” he charged.

On the Congress president’s question if taking a dip in the Ganga would eradicate poverty, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dip in 2019 and gave cooking gas, five kilogrammes of free foodgrains, toilets, provided free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and “other facilities” to 60 crore people. “Kharge sahab, you have turned 80. In your entire life, you have never taken a dip. Tell us what you have done for the welfare of the poor,” Shah asked the Congress president.

“My party BJP, our leader Modi ji, and we all have faith in the country’s traditions and faith. That is why the Kartarpur Sahib corridor was built and such a magnificent Kumbh mela is being organised,” he added.

Raising the poll pitch, he stated that neither of the parties can develop Delhi. Responding to the allegations levelled by AAP on the Haryana government about mixing “poison in Yamuna”, Shah said he has never seen anyone stooping to such low levels to win an election.

“Kejriwal ji, victory and defeat are part of every election but you have accused the Haryana government of mixing poison in Yamuna and you have scared the people of Delhi. This is cheap politics,” Shah said.

He asked Kejriwal to answer three questions and said, “Arvind Kejriwal says he has a report. If so, make that report public, and we will address it. He alleged that Haryana poisoned the water. What is the name of that poison? Reveal its name and provide proof. He claimed to have stopped the polluted water, saving Delhi’s residents. Then show the order you issued to block that water.”

 “Arvind Kejriwal will have to answer these three questions. He is unparalleled when it comes to lying. He did not fulfill promises made to Anna Hazare and even vowed not to seek Congress’s support, but broke those promises,” he added.

Shah began the election campaign by participating in a lengthy roadshow from Mool Chand Metro Station to Garhi Chowk in the Kasturba Nagar constituency, where the party has put Neeraj Basoya in opposition to AAP’s Ramesh Pehalwan, who joined the ruling party a month ago with his wife and two-time MCD councilor Kusum Lata.

As BJP candidate Neeraj Basoya and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj stood next to him, Shah, dressed in a saffron shirt and a black sleeveless jacket, waved to his supporters and showered them with rose petals throughout the entire trip.

As Shah’s car sped through the congested streets of Kasturba Nagar constituency, with a sea of supporters pounding drums and trumpets and people curiously bending over from their balconies to get a glimpse of the BJP’s star campaigner, the slogans were loud and clear: Bharat Mata ki Jai, Jai Shri Ram, Vote for BJP.

Shah later made it to the Kalkaji constituency, where he spoke to a sizable contingent of BJP supporters and urged them to support Ramesh Bidhuri, whom he described as his “dear friend” and a public-serving politician.