PM Narendra Modi (L) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photos
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress is far ahead in vote-bank politics, but when it comes to poverty eradication the party has given only empty slogans and looted the impoverished people.
He also raised the issue of illegal immigration and said a Congress leader in Jharkhand, which is facing assembly polls along with Maharashtra, has promised to provide cheap gas cylinders to infiltrators like Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
Stepping up attack on the Congress with less than a week left for polling in the state, the BJP's star campaigner noted the party gave the 'Garibi Hatao' (eradicate poverty) slogan, but instead looted the poor.
“If the poor are benefiting, you feel happy, but the Congress doesn’t feel happy over this,” Modi said, addressing a well-attended rally at Kharghar in Panvel taluka of Raigad district for the November 20 assembly elections.
“The Congress is far ahead when it comes to vote-bank politics, but is the enemy of the poor,” Modi said.
The Grand Old Party has always worked with the agenda of keeping the poor in poverty, the PM remarked.
“Generation after generation these people kept giving the false slogan of eradicating poverty. In the name of eradicating poverty, the Congress looted the poor,” he said.
Even after 70 years of Independence, most of the people in the country were struggling to get food, clothing and shelter, but the situation changed for the first time in the last 10 years, he added.
Modi said his government, since 2014, has brought 25 crore people out of poverty.
The BJP stalwart said a Congress leader has promised to provide subsidised cooking gas cylinder even to infiltrators if the INDIA bloc comes to power in Jharkhand.
“Today, a Congress leader has said in Jharkhand that we will give cheap gas cylinders to Hindus and Muslims as well as infiltrators like Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. Should such people who praise the infiltrators get any opportunity anywhere?” he asked.
Modi asked the crowd at the rally to say 'Ek hai toh safe hai' (we are safe if we are united) so that those seeking to divide society lose their sleep.
Modi also spoke of his love for Maharashtra, the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
“When the BJP chose me as the PM candidate in 2013, I went to Raigad Fort and sought the blessings of Shivaji Maharaj to work for the country. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave us the oath of swaraj (self-rule). We have to carry forward the resolution of suraj (good governance) along with swaraj to build a developed India,” he said.
Modi emphasised the ruling Mahayuti alliance's commitment to policies that uplift and empower all communities, particularly marginalized and economically disadvantaged sections of Maharashtra.
He said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies are taking initiatives that are strengthening the "soshit" (oppressed) and "vanchit" (deprived), who were neglected by the Congress.
Highlighting major social welfare schemes that have reached over 80 crore citizens across India, Modi emphasized his government's provision of free monthly rations to economically disadvantaged families.
"In Raigad alone, 18 lakh people have benefited from free ration distribution," he stated.
On the economic front, Modi outlined Mahayuti's development plans, stating that Maharashtra is on the brink of an infrastructural revolution.
Key projects like the Atal Setu sea bridge, the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Vadhavan Port and the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway are transforming the state into a hub of growth, he explained.
Modi said that with Rs 30,000 crore invested in a Data Centre Park in Raigad, Maharashtra is poised to become a leading tech hub in Asia.
He assured coastal communities of continued government support, specifically for the fishing industry.
A Rs 1,000-crore assistance package is set to modernize navigation, provide better boats, and support blue economy initiatives, he said in the coastal district.
He highlighted schemes like the PM Awas Yojana, where homes are registered in women's names, and the Lakhpati Didi programme, which has helped numerous women become financially independent.
"The Congress mocks these programmes, but they transform the lives of millions of women," he said.
Modi emphasized that the upcoming elections are about securing Maharashtra's long-term future, not just electing members of the legislative assembly.
The PM warned the audience of the Congress's attempts to sow division among different communities and castes.
"The Congress is trying to split and exploit Dalits, tribals, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and other communities for power," Modi asserted.
He alleged the Congress was reluctant to support the progress of SCs/STs/OBCs because it wants to keep them deprived for political advantage.
Assembly poll results will be declared on November 23.
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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