MVA is like auto-rickshaw with mismatching spare parts, will fail: Amit Shah

The Union home minister also claimed that it was due to the BJP that Aurangabad in central Maharashtra was renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.

Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress in Maharashtra is like an "auto-rickshaw with mismatching spare parts", and it will fail to perform.

Speaking at a campaign rally for BJP candidate and sitting local MP Pratap Patil Chikhalikar at Naigaon in Nanded district of central Maharashtra, he also said that in the BJP-led NDA, voters have a strong "nationalist" option available.

Former Congress leader Ashok Chavan who was Nanded MP from 2014 to 2019 (before being defeated by Chikhalikar in 2019), and who joined the BJP earlier this year, was also present on stage.

"There is a pseudo-Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, pseudo-NCP of Sharad Pawar and a leftover Congress in Maharashtra. These three parties are like an autorickshaw with mismatching spare parts. How will it ever perform and do anything good for Maharashtra?" the BJP leader asked.

"Such autorickshaws do not even have any direction, and no future. This (alliance) is going to sink for sure after the elections," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the Indian economy from the 11th position in the world in 2014 to the fifth position, he said, adding that if Modi gets another term, he will make India the third largest economy.

"Every vote given to Chikhalikar will also strengthen Modi's chances of becoming prime minister for the third time," Shah said.

The Union home minister also claimed that it was thanks to the BJP that Aurangabad in central Maharashtra was renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.

"Late (Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray used to demand renaming of Aurangabad district as Sambhajinagar, and Sharad Pawar always opposed it. Now, the Shiv Sena-BJP government changed the name, but there is no smile on Uddhav Thackeray's face," he quipped.

As prime minister, Manmohan Singh remained silent when terrorists from Pakistan attacked the country, while Modi conducted surgical strikes in response to such attacks, Shah said.

"Anyone from Pakistan used to come to our country, carry out a terror attack, and return. Manmohan Singh would never utter a single word against it. After Modi became prime minister, he saw the Kashmir issue from a different perspective. The (terror) attacks of Uri and Pulwama did happen, but within ten days of each attack, a surgical strike and air strike were carried out by entering Pakistan and killing hundreds of terrorists," the Union minister said.

Modi gave a message to the world that no one can mess with India's soldiers and its borders, he added.

Congress "nurtured Article 370 (which gave a special status to Jammu & Kashmir) as an illegitimate child for 70 years", the minister said, adding that PM Modi, on August 5, 2019, abrogated it and "made Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of the country".

Naxalism was a major problem in Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Shah said, claiming that prime minister Modi "uprooted" it from these states.

Accusing the Congress of stalling the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said in the last five years, the (Supreme Court) judgement on the issue came, groundbreaking ceremony for the temple took place, and Ram Lalla's consecration was also completed.

"After 500 years of waiting, Ram Lalla will celebrate his birthday on April 17 (on Ram Navami) in the huge temple, not in a tent," the Union minister said.

Shah also targeted Congress party for "not respecting" the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony held in January.

"I can understand Congress' stand on not solving the Ram temple issue, as it would have feared losing its vote bank. But when Congress leaders were invited to attend the consecration ceremony, nobody attended it. They even ousted their leaders who wished to attend the ceremony," he claimed.

Seeking votes for the BJP candidate, Shah said Maharashtra can progress only at the hands of PM Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

Notably, Shah did not mention NDA ally and another deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Both Ajit Pawar and Shinde were not present at the rally.

Chikhalikar is facing Congress' Vasant Chavan in Nanded constituency.