BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: BJP leader Ashish Shelar on Monday claimed that Congress offers a "booster" for anti-national activities wherever it comes to power and appealed to people not to vote for the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Talking to reporters here, the BJP's Mumbai unit president cited the Samajwadi Party's letter to Congress's state polls manifesto chief Prithviraj Chavan demanding reservation for Muslims and scrapping the committee set up for "love jihad" cases and accused the party of indulging in appeasement politics.
"The Congress, wherever it comes to power, gives a booster to anti-national activities. Social unrest and instability always follow wherever the party comes to power. The recent terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir is an example of this," he said.
He appealed to people not to vote for the MVA, comprising the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) in the November 20 assembly polls.
Citing the SP's letter to Chavan, Shelar said, "We call such practices vote jihad. The Congress is indulging in appeasement politics. We are totally against such vote jihad. What is Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's stand on reservation to Muslims in education and government jobs?"
The BJP leader further said Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla was transferred on the instruction of the Election Commission of India (ECI), and the opposition should admit that the poll body is neutral and impartial.
The ECI on Monday directed the state government to transfer DGP Shukla with immediate effect following complaints from political parties, including the Congress.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole had written to the ECI alleging that Shukla was a controversial officer who had sided with the BJP, and her continuing in office would raise doubts about holding polls fairly and in a transparent manner.
"We invite Patole to present any documentation or evidence to substantiate his allegations. If he is unable to do so by next week, we intend to file a formal complaint with the ECI and request an apology. Targeting one person and harassing them is not good, and it could backfire on the Congress or Shiv Sena (UBT)," Shelar said.
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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