Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: Modi says Congress is finished, but mentions the party 50-60 times in speech, says Nana Patole

Mumbai: As Narendra Modi launched his Maharashtra poll campaign, the Congress slammed him for describing Congress as a party which is finished, however, takes its name 50-60 times in each of his speeches. 

"In his speech, Modi, who claims Congress is finished, mentions the Congress 50-60 times in each of his rallies. His speech was the usual attempt to mislead by telling lies, but the people of Maharashtra will not fall for this deception,” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole said. 

“Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who are in Maharashtra for the state assembly election campaign, are appealing for votes on the basis of caste and religion as they sense defeat approaching. Caste-based hierarchy is ingrained in BJP's ideology. The BJP has committed the sin of inciting tensions between castes, and Modi should not blame Congress for this,” said Patole, a former Legislative Assembly Speaker and ex-MP. 

“In the sacred land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the people of Maharashtra will not tolerate Modi and Shah's attempts to create political divides based on caste and religion,” he said. 

Patole further added that while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi fights to protect democracy and the Constitution, mocking him is an insult to the Constitution.

“The BJP has consistently disrespected Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. It is BJP that has labeled those defending democracy and the Constitution as Naxalites,” he said.

Responding to Modi's accusation that Congress divided castes within the OBCs and did not give them reservation, Patole reminded that it was the BJP who fiercely opposed the Mandal Commission that granted reservations to OBCs. 

“The public knows it was the BJP that removed political reservations for OBCs. In Maharashtra, the BJP has sowed discord among Marathas, OBCs, Dhangars, Adivasis, and Halbas under the pretext of reservation. The BJP is also responsible for doing away with reservations in jobs by selling off public companies,” he said. 

“Without conducting UPSC exams, the Modi government has appointed RSS-affiliated youths directly to Joint Secretary positions, depriving SC, ST, and OBC communities of their reservation benefits. Just two days ago, a BJP leader in Wani, Yavatmal, made extremely offensive remarks about the Kunbi community, with many BJP leaders present but not intervening. Modi's expressed sympathy for the OBC community is nothing more than fake affection,” said Patole. 

“With slogans like 'Batenge to Katenge,' the BJP aims to incite religious conflicts in Maharashtra. Considering the BJP's stance on Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities, one wonders if BJP even considers these communities as citizens of the country. Modi's accusation that Congress no longer stands as a national party and relies on support from other parties in each state is childish and ridiculous. Modi's government itself relies on support from Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar,” he said.

“To form a government in Maharashtra, they split Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's NCP and relied on them as crutches to form the government—does the Prime Minister not know this?,” he added.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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