MUMBAI: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked Congress on its election promises saying the grand old party has opened. ‘jhooth ki dukaan’ (shop of lies) in Maharashtra like the other states where it is ruling. He also alleged that schemes designed by the Congress governments have been implemented to allow the party to indulge in ‘maximum corruption.’
“In Maharashtra, the Congress has only one option available to fight the BJP on the development plank in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls. It has opened a jhooth ki dukaan, wherein it is making false promises to the people of Maharashtra,” Mr. Modi said while addressing a rally at Nashik.
The PM said the grand old party made similar promises to people in states like Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. “The Congress opened jhooth ki dukaan in these states where it is ruling. But that shop is on the verge of shutting down as the Congress does not have money to run the government (schemes) and pay salaries to their employees. The schemes designed by the Congress governments are intended to indulge in ‘maximum corruption,” he added.
Mr. Modi’s attack comes on the backdrop of BJP’s campaign in Maharashtra accusing the Congress of not fulfilling the guarantees given during the Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections and betraying the people. He also said the Congress wants to shut the popular ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme of the Mahayuti in which Rs 1,500 per month is being given to women in the state. “Every woman should be cautious of them. They can’t tolerate our popular scheme," he said.
The PM alleged that for many decades, Congress gave the slogan of eradicating poverty but the poor remained dependent for food, clothes and shelter. However, 25 crore people have been freed from the clutches of poverty in the last 10 years, he claimed.
Addressing a rally in Dhule earlier in the day, the promised continued development for the state under the Mahayuti government.He accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc parties of plotting against Kashmir after a recent ruckus in the J&K assembly over a resolution calling for the restoration of Article 370.
The PM appealed to Dalits, tribals, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to stay united, coining the slogan “Ek hain toh safe hain (Together, we are safe)”. “If STs (Scheduled Tribes), SCs (Scheduled Castes), and OBCs stay united, the politics of Congress will be over. The Congress has become parasitic and is surviving on crutches. It can contest polls only with the support of other parties, it cannot stand on its own and hence to survive, it has resorted to its oldest tactic of dividing SCs, STs, and OBCs by sowing seeds of discord among them to weaken their unity,” he said.
Mr. Modi dared Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders to publicly praise Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. He asked Uddhav Thackeray to make then do so, saying Rahul Gandhi had “repeatedly insulted Savarkar” despite being in alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT). “How can he (Uddhav) align with the Congress, which neither respects Savarkar nor Balasaheb?” the PM asked.
The Congress has reacted sharply to Mr. Modi’s ‘jhooth ki dukaan’ barb calling it a false propaganda. To counter it, the grand old party has summoned the heads of its ruling states to Mumbai.
Telangana and Himachal Pradesh chief ministers Revanth Reddy and Sukhvinder Sukhu and Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar will hold a joint Press Conference in Mumbai on Saturday to expose BJP’s fake narrative, said the party leader. To counter BJP’s fake narrative and present the truth to the people of Maharashtra, Reddy, Sukhu and Shivakumar will expose BJP's lies, he added.
On Thursday, the Congress party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, demanding action against the BJP. This is an attempt by the BJP to spread false propaganda against the Congress. Despite being in power at the centre for 10 years and in the state for seven and a half years, the BJP has nothing significant to show in terms of achievements. Since they cannot gain votes based on work, the BJP has resorted to spreading rumours and false propaganda, said the party leader.
Mr. Modi will hold two more rallies in Akola and in Nanded on Saturday. On November 12, he will address rallies in Chimur and Solapur and join a roadshow in Pune in the evening. His final rallies are planned for November 14 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad, and Mumbai.
Voting for the 288-seat Maharashtra state legislative assembly will take place in a single phase on November 20 and results will be announced three days later on November 23.
