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Informist, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, star campaigner for the Bharatiya Janata Party, addressed his first campaign rally for the Maharashtra assembly elections in Dhule Friday, accusing the Indian National Congress and its allies of creating a rift amongst tribals, Dalits, and other backward classes for political mileage.

Modi alleged that the Congress wants to break the unity of the Dalits, tribals, and other backward classes. "There are different communities amongst tribals and Dalits in Maharashtra," he said. "The Congress party wants to create rifts between these communities. The Congress wants Bhils to fight with Kolis and Gond-Madia to fight with Warlis to get political mileage. You will stay strong as long as you stay united."

Modi, in his nearly 50-minute address, referred to former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi to corner the Congress on the issue of reservations. He claimed that Nehru had opposed B.R. Ambedkar’s proposal to provide quotas for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and that Indira and Rajiv Gandhi had followed the same approach during their tenures as prime minister as they did not want to uplift the backward classes, tribals, and Dalits.

"The Congress party did not implement Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir for 75 years," he said, though Article 35A and Article 370, which conferred special status on the erstwhile state, were provisions in the Constitution itself. "But the Modi government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir to enforce Ambedkar’s Constitution there."

He said the Congress and its allies had adopted a resolution in the new Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking restoration of special status for the Union territory. "This shows the double standards of the Congress party," Modi said. "They pass a resolution to take away the rights of Dalits and tribals in Kashmir, and in Maharashtra they are talking about Dalit and tribal rights."

Modi also pitched for women and farmer votes in the state. He highlighted the Women's Reservation Bill passed by his government to reserve for women 33% of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. He accused the Maha Vikas Agadi alliance of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) of being disrespectful to women. Modi was referring to the allegedly derogatory remarks made by Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarian Arvind Sawant against BJP’s Mumbadevi candidate Shaina N.C.

Seeking votes for the "Mahayuti", or Grand Alliance, led by the BJP, Modi said the double-engine government of the BJP-led alliance will increase the pace of development in Maharashtra. “Only the Mahayuti government can give good governance to Maharashtra,” he said.

"It is very important to empower women for a 'viksit' Maharashtra and 'viksit' Bharat," he continued. "Society progresses rapidly when women progress. The Opposition is trying to stop the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana of the state government." The scheme gives adult women below a certain income threshold an allowance of INR 1,500 every month.

The BJP leader said foreign investment has increased in Maharashtra and the state has been prioritised in every central scheme. "One of India’s biggest ports-–Vadhavan Port--is being developed in the state," he said. "Infrastructure projects are opening up new opportunities."

Elections for the 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra will be held on Nov. 20 and the counting of votes will take place on Nov. 23. The state is witnessing a contest between the ruling Mahayuti of the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and the Maha Vikas Agadi.  End

Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Rajeev Pai

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