Union Home Minister Amit Shah led ‘Maha Padyatra’ here on Monday as part of BJP’s nationwide campaign to counter the anti-SIR campaign launched by the INDIA bloc.

He began the foot march from Babu Jagjivan Ram Statue at Basheerbagh in the heart of the city along with several party leaders and hundreds of party workers.

Holding the national flag, Amit Shah was walking with Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders.

The 1.5-kilometre-long foot march, being organised with the slogan ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’, will conclude at Moazzam Jahi Market, where Amit Shah will address a corner meeting.

He is expected to respond to the INDIA bloc’s attack against the BJP in the rally organised at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday.

Ahead of the padyatra, the Home Minister took to social media to target the Congress party.

“Reeling from successive defeats in the elections, the Congress Party is now determined by any means to seize power, even if it means murdering democracy through their anarchic actions. To protect our democracy from the Congress Party’s nefarious attempts, I will participate in the grand padayatra titled ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’, taking place this evening in Hyderabad,” he posted on X.

BJP leaders have appealed to people to come together in solidarity and participate in the march to save democracy and safeguard constitutional institutions.

Hyderabad Traffic Police have imposed traffic restrictions across several parts of central Hyderabad in view of the padayatra.

Traffic was diverted at several points in the busy areas of Basheerbagh, Nampally, Abids, Jambagh, MJ Market, Koti and Afzal Gunj.

Earlier, Amit Shah offered prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi temple, located adjacent to the historic Charminar here.

Soon after his arrival in the city, he visited the temple in the old city and offered prayers.

He was accompanied by Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy and state BJP president N. Ramchander Rao.

Amit Shah was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival at Begumpet Airport in the city.

Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Ramchander Rao, BJP MPs and other party leaders welcomed him.

Seven fishermen, stranded at sea after their boat engine failed, have been rescued by authorities off Andhra Pradesh’s Potti Sriramulu Nellore district on Monday.

District Collector Himanshu Shukla said seven fishermen, who had become stranded at sea near Juvvaladinne in the Kavali constituency after boat engine failure, have been brought safely to shore.

The sea conditions are rough due to the severe cyclonic storm ‘Murasu’ in the Bay of Bengal. Authorities have already advised farmers not to venture into the sea. Those already at sea have been advised to return.

The Collector stated that the successful rescue was the result of coordinated and prompt action by the Fisheries Department, Marine Police, and local fishermen, who ensured both the boat and the seven fishermen on board were brought back to safety.

The fishermen had set out for a fishing trip from the Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour. Upon noticing a change in weather conditions, they attempted to return to the harbour. However, the boat’s engine failed while they were en route, leaving them stranded at sea approximately half a kilometre from the harbour entrance.

Surveillance staff stationed at the Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour identified the situation and immediately alerted the authorities concerned. Upon being alerted, officials from the Fisheries Department and the Marine Police, with the assistance of local fishermen, initiated rescue operations. Initially, reaching the boat proved difficult due to the high intensity of the sea waves.

During this process, the boat’s anchor snapped, and the vessel drifted toward the village of Patakadapalem, driven by the strong waves. Acting promptly, the Marine Police, Fisheries Department officials, and local fishermen coordinated their efforts to follow the boat and continue the rescue operation. Ultimately, they managed to bring the boat safely to the shore at Patakadapalem and ensured that all seven fishermen on board were brought to land unharmed.

The District Collector commended the Fisheries Department officials, Marine Police, surveillance personnel, and local fishermen for their presence of mind and efforts in saving the lives of the fishermen.

The Collector also advised fishermen to remain vigilant during adverse weather conditions at sea and to strictly follow the instructions provided by the authorities.

The BJP on Monday hit back at Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, over his remark that Narendra Modi ‘cannot go anywhere’, saying that Rahul Gandhi’s statement showed he had accepted that the Prime Minister would remain in power.

The remarks came after LoP Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, said, “PM Modi cannot go anywhere. Even if he wants to leave, we won’t let him. After Gyanesh Kumar, we will come after you, and legal action will follow.”

Speaking to media, BJP MP Damodar Agarwal said that the people of the country were concerned that, after repeated failures, “Rahul Baba” might flee to Italy out of fear of the law or the National Herald case.

“He is worried that he himself might have to flee, which is why he had the audacity to make such a statement about Prime Minister Modi. Modi was born and raised on this soil and is serving the country. He is determined to continue serving the nation until his last breath,” Agarwal said.

BJP National Spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said that Prime Minister Modi was not going anywhere and that Rahul Gandhi’s statement indicated that he had accepted this fact.

“PM Modi is not going anywhere. Rahul Gandhi says he won’t let him go, which means he has accepted that Modi will remain. What action will they take against a son of Mother India who is dedicated to serving the country, taking it on the path of progress and transforming India’s destiny and image?” Hussain said.

He further said that despite global tensions, India’s economy was performing well under PM Modi’s leadership.

“The whole world is facing conflicts. There is tension between Israel and Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Despite all of this, the country’s economy is doing better under PM Modi’s leadership,” he added.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said that the Opposition was dreaming of things that would never come true.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the Lok Sabha elections three consecutive times. Moreover, wherever Assembly elections are being held in the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party has registered unprecedented victories. This is the mandate of the people. The people have every right to decide whom they want to elect and whom they do not,” he said.

“If the people reject the Congress and Rahul Gandhi and consider him an unsuccessful leader, how is anyone else to blame for that?” Khandelwal added.

Meanwhile, over the last decade, Opposition jibes, particularly from the Congress, have inadvertently provided the BJP with some of its biggest and most successful slogans and campaigns. One such example was the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign in 2019, launched in response to LoP Gandhi’s ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ attack.

The grand old party appears to have done it again, handing the ruling party another potential war cry at a time when it is dealing with multiple issues in its third consecutive term in power.

PM Modi’s recent roadshow in Gujarat’s Banaskantha saw supporters waving posters carrying the message, ‘Modi kahin nahi jayega’, implying that he would continue to remain in power.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s reported remark, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega”, suggesting that the Prime Minister would eventually lose power, has also inadvertently provided the BJP with a fresh slogan.

It is not the first time that the BJP has turned Opposition criticism into a mass campaign. The party successfully embraced the “Chaiwala” remark during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and later launched the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign in 2019, with party leaders wearing the phrase as a badge of honour to directly connect with voters.

The campaign also helped the BJP shift public attention away from issues such as the economy, unemployment and inflation and refocus the political conversation on its most popular face — Prime Minister Modi.