Bengaluru: Union home minister Amit Shah was at his fiery best when he thundered that all those who spoke ill of the country would face jails. He did not mince words in addressing his anger at former AICC president Rahul Gandhi.

He said, "Rahulji, direct the abuses towards me, direct it towards Modiji even direct it towards my party or the Constitution but if you talk against my Motherland (Bharat Mata) I will make sure that all those who do will be jailed.”

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So what was the reference to? 

The Home Minister was referencing the 2016 JNU sedition case, wherein slogans against the country such as the infamous 'Bharat Ke Tukde Tukde Honge' were raised as students protested the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru. An enormous debate and controversy had been triggered in its aftermath, with the sedition case still ongoing, the latest developments circling around the Delhi government continuing to deny sanction to the Delhi Police to file a chargesheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and others who have been accused. 

Amit Shah was in Haryana as he campaigned for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. He addressed three rallies. 

Shah also took jibes at the Congress party for mocking defence minister Rajnath Singh’s ritual of placing lemons and applying tilak on the brand new jet. 

Interestingly, it was not just the BJP, even members of the Congress party are not happy with the way the party has reacted to the tradition. Sanjay Nirupam, the beleaguered Congress leader from Maharashtra said that Mallikarjuna Kharge, the former leader of opposition, may be an atheist but not all in the Congress are. 

Haryana, along with Maharashtra, will go to polls on October 21 while the results will be announced on October 24. Maharashtra has 288 seats while Haryana has 90 seats.