At three rallies held in Maharashtra on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress, accusing the opposition party of supporting Pakistan’s position by calling for the reinstatement of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
With 288 constituencies set to vote in a single phase of the Maharashtra assembly elections on November 20, Modi’s rallies in Pune, Solapur, and Chimur were intended to increase support for the Mahayuti alliance, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As he traveled to the public meeting location after arriving in Pune, Modi put on a road show.
Modi said during a rally at Pune’s SP College Ground that his government has permanently repealed Article 370. Ajit Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and deputy chief minister, was also present at the event when Modi declared, “Nobody can bring back Article 370; it’s buried deep in the ground.”
However, he added, “the Congress is now speaking the language that Pakistan has been speaking for many years. The country would not tolerate any attempt to resurrect the Article that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status”. In the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Congress passed a motion to reinstate Article 370, he asserted.
Modi questioned, “They ruled India for six to seven decades—so why was the Constitution made by Babasaheb Ambedkar not implemented across the entire country during their tenure?” in reference to the Congress’s recent campaigns with a constitution theme.
Modi further charged the Congress with financing its Maharashtra campaign with money from purported Karnataka scams. “The Congress has not fulfilled its promises to the people of Karnataka, despite lying to them and urging them to cast their ballots,” Modi remarked. “The Congress is now accused of stealing from people in broad sight and using the proceeds to run for office in Maharashtra. Congress must be kept at bay if Maharashtra is to be saved”.
Speaking at a rally in Solapur, Modi discussed the purported internal strife inside the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. “You all are witnessing the chaos in the Aghadi, where there is a struggle for the position of chief minister,” he remarked.
Regarding Shiv Sena (UBT)’s desire to announce a chief ministerial candidate—a demand that both Congress and the NCP (SP) have rejected—Modi remarked, “One party spends the entire day declaring its leader as the chief minister, while others, including Congress, dismiss these claims. Maharashtra knows that development is possible only with the Mahayuti alliance at the helm,” Modi said, expressing confidence that the Mahayuti alliance would win the state.
Modi made a scathing statement at Congress, accusing the party of inciting caste discord. Congress will receive oxygen if the OBCs are split up into castes. “Will you let the Congress get away with this plot?” he questioned the gathering in Solapur, where the Maratha community has been protesting for OBC quota reservation for the past year. Reiterating his catchphrase, “Ek hain, toh safe hain” (If we are unified, we are safe), Modi called on smaller communities to band together.
Modi silent on Pawar
So far in the Maharashtra campaign, the prime minister has not personally criticized Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). In contrast to his aggressive attacks on both Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaigns, Modi made no mention of either leader at all in Pawar’s home district of Pune. Modi had called Pawar senior “Bhatakti Aatma” during the LS polls, which cost Mahayuti dearly in several seats.
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