Karnal, May 20 (IANS): Saying the Modi government has taken strategic steps to accelerate a transformation in the farming sector, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the farmer budget during the Congress government was Rs 22,000 crore but Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased it to Rs 1,25,000 crore in last 10 years.

Addressing his first public meeting in Haryana ahead of the parliamentary poll for 10 seats and by-poll in an assembly seat both slated on May 25, Amit Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a “special attachment” and “love” for Haryana.

“I have been working with PM Modi for so many years. When he was in Gujarat, he used to worry about Haryana. The Congress had sent Rs 41,000 crore in 10 years for the development of Haryana but PM Modi has given Rs 2,70,000 crore for Haryana’s development,” Amit Shah

Taking a dig at the Congress, the Union Home Minister said the party did not revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir for the sake of appeasement politics.

“You made Narendra Modi-ji the Prime Minister for the second time and he scrapped Article 370. And now our tricolour proudly flutters in Kashmir,” he said.

Without mincing words, Amit Shah reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir “belongs to India and we will take it back.”

He also slammed the Congress on the issue of Ram Mandir, saying top Congress leaders, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, did not take part in the temple's consecration ceremony to please the minority vote bank.

The BJP has fielded former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from the Karnal parliamentary seat and Chief Minister Nayab Saini for the Karnal assembly by-poll. Both were sitting beside Amit Shah at the rally.

“Now our young Chief Minister Saini has taken over the command. I assure you that Saini looks very gentle and polite, but when it comes to the public, he fights even the biggest battles,” Amit Shah added.