Wrong perception in the mind of Muslims will end if BJP comes: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Narendra Modi's key aide Amit Shah said that the "wrong perception" created by BJP's political opponents will vanish from the mind of "Muslim brothers" if his party comes to power at the Centre and the government will be run strictly as per constitutional norms.

He also accused Congress of "vindictive politics" over its decision to appoint a judge to probe the Snoopgate allegedly involving the Gujarat Chief Minister and him.

Holding that the models propagated by Modi and BJP are one when it comes to running the government, Shah said on Monday that the country will be governed strictly as per the constitutional structure if there is a government led by BJP's Prime Ministerial nominee at the Centre.

"The country should be run according to the Constitution. (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee or Modi makes no difference. The country is governed as per the Constitution of the country.

Even when Modi will come, the country should run as per the constitutional structure," Shah told NDTV.

Asserting that there is "no contradiction" between the BJP model and Modi model of governance, he said the Gujarat Chief Minister tried to solve the problems of the state as its head of government while the country has its own complex problems.

"It's not that Modi's model is different from that of the BJP," he said and blamed it on the political rivals of Modi and a section of the media for creating a false perception about BJP's PM pick.

"This wrong perception was broken in states where we formed a government. This will also break in the nation when our government comes. This perception will not break with small steps but from the governance we provide...When my party's rule will come, this wrong impression will vanish from the mind of our Muslim brothers.

"....Our government will run strictly under the parameters of the Constitution and will treat all citizens equally," Shah said replying to questions.

On the issue of Snoopgate, Shah wondered as to why Congress and UPA did not accept the reports of Shunglu committee on Commonwealth Games scam and the panel on Adarsh housing society scam but decided to go ahead with an inquiry into a matter which is already being probed in Gujarat.

It is alleged that illegal surveillance was carried out on a young woman in Gujarat in 2009 at behest of the Gujarat Chief Minister. Shah was then the state's Home Minister.

"This is one more example of the traditional vindictive politics of Congress," Shah said, adding that the Congress decision to name a judge to probe the Snoopgate was done after their moral authority ceased following the announcement of elections.

"The kind of large scale scams that happened during this government did not happen during any other regime. The UPA government did not accept the report on Adarsh, even the Shunglu committee report was also not accepted," he said.

Blaming BJP's political opponents and a section of media for creating "wrong perceptions", he said that there had been no communal riot in Modi-ruled Gujarat since 2003.

"This is a made up perception and no body should be held guilty merely on the allegations by the opponents," he said.

On why Modi does not offer an apology for the 2002 post-Godhra riots, he said that he (Shah) has a different take on such matters and believes that the "drama of apology should be driven out of public life".

He said that somebody who is guilty must be punished and not merely be spared after seeking an apology.

"What will happen by apology. Why those in public life should get this favour of being spared with an apology. Only the judgement by a court can clear someone," he said.

Shah downplayed the issue of some leaders of BJP like Giriraj Singh from Bihar and VHP leader Pravin Togadia making controversial statements.

"The country will not get divided by one statement of a person....There are different kinds of people in a party. The thing is that whom do you consider the party. You should look at what the top leadership of the party says and not at what somebody sitting in a corner is saying," he said.

He dismissed a suggestion that BJP was facing difficulty in getting allies for forming a government after elections, saying, "Those who get a majority do not face problems in running the country."

Shah said that unlike in past when BJP could only tell people how differently it would work for them if voted to power, people can now compare the models of governance by it and Congress.

"BJP is leading stable governments in five-six states for quite some time. So the outline of the functioning of these governments is there. They also have before them the performance of the UPA. Today there are two models of governance before the country. One is of the BJP, the other is of Congress and UPA. He said that politics of performance is the plank in this Lok Sabha polls.

On denial of US visa to Modi, he said that this was also due to the wrong perception but he was "not upset" as the perception will change.