Mumbai: In a stinging attack on political rivals, BJP president Amit Shah on Friday equated the parties trying to join hands against the BJP with ‘snakes’, ‘mongoose’, ‘dogs’ and ‘cats’. Later, he said his intention was not to equate Opposition parties with animals.

Addressing a rally here on the occasion of the BJP’s 38th Foundation Day, he also asserted that the Narendra Modi government would not scrap the reservation policy, nor allow anyone else to do so.

“The countdown for 2019 (polls) has begun. Attempts are being made for Opposition unity. When huge floods occur, everything is washed away... Only a vatvriksha (banyan tree) survives and snakes climb onto it, mongoose climb on it, cats climb onto it, dogs climb onto it, cheetahs climb onto it and lions climb onto it because of the rising waters.

“The flood caused by Modi has made all cats, dogs, snakes and mongoose to come together to contest polls,” Shah said.

He was apparently referring to the efforts being made by various parties like the TRS, the Trinamool Congress and the TDP to sew up a coalition to take on the Modi-led BJP in the next election.

Later, addressing a press conference, Shah said, “What I meant was political parties having no ideological similarities are coming together out of Modi’s fear.” 

“Snake and mongoose have nothing in common. Let me take names: Samajwadi Party and BSP, Trinamool Congress and Congress, Chandrababu Naidu and Congress, they have nothing in common and no ideological similarities, but are coming together,” the BJP president said.