Indian home minister Amit Shah on Friday (25) said the former Narendra Modi government in the western state of Gujarat established peace here and "taught lesson" to the anti-social elements or rioters in 2002.
According to Shah, earlier incidents of riots and violence were common in Gujarat as he accused the opponent Indian National Congress party of encouraging it.
Addressing a rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district of the poll-bound state, Amit Shah said, "Earlier, riots used to happen during the days of Congress, but the year 2002 (during Modi government) was the last year when some anti-social elements tried to incite riots and they were 'taught a lesson' and thrown out of Gujarat," adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established "permanent peace" in the state.
Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following train burning incident at Godhra railway station in the state. Around 58 people lost their lives when some coaches of Sabarmati Express were torched at the railway station on February 27, 2002.
The incident had triggered large-scale riots in Gujarat.
Modi was then the chief minister of the state and had completed only a few months in the post. Shah, who also hails from Gujarat, had also served as its home minister and managed other portfolios.
Shah also launched a series of attacks against the Congress for ignoring the tribal communities for years.
"Due to the Vanbandhu scheme of the Modi government, the income of 7 lakh (0.7 million) tribals has doubled, water check dams have been built in their extension and tribals have been provided with the facility to take three crops in a year. The Congress Party made a provision of 900 crore for the tribals in their last budget, while Bhupendra Patel made a provision of one lakh crore in the previous budget for the tribals," he said.
The home minister held four rallies- Mahudha Kheda, Vagra in Jalod district, Naroda in Dahod district and a grand roadshow at Nandod in Narmada district ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, scheduled early next month.
Gujarat will go for poll in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will take place on December 8.
[With ANI inputs]
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images