Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his campaign for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections on Friday, delivering a strong message of unity with the slogan “Ek hai, toh safe hai” (“We are safe if we are united”). The phrase, echoing a similar message by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, emphasised the importance of staying together to secure the state’s future.
In a series of rallies, Modi called on Congress allies in Maharashtra to prove their commitment to Hindutva by getting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to speak for 15 minutes in praise of Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, whom Modi described as key contributors to the nation. The Prime Minister accused the Congress of fuelling divisive politics by pitting one caste against another and criticised the party for its historical opposition to reservation policies, a stance that, he said, had been evident since the days of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“The sole agenda of the Congress party is to make one caste fight against another. They do not want SCs, STs, and OBCs to progress and get their due recognition… Remember, ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’,” Modi told the crowd at his rally in Dhule, in North Maharashtra. The remarks come after Adityanath’s slogan of ‘batenge to katenge’ (“If divided, we perish”) which has drawn the Opposition’s ire.
सोचिए, अलग-अलग जातियों में टूटने से आप कितने कमजोर हो जाएंगे।
इसलिए मैं कहता हूं – एक हैं तो सेफ हैं।
हमें एकजुट रहकर कांग्रेस के खतरनाक खेल को नाकाम करना है और विकास के रास्ते पर आगे बढ़ते रहना है।
– पीएम श्री @narendramodi
पूरा वीडियो देखें : https://t.co/pgUGS3Geem pic.twitter.com/69xHSk6LXN
— BJP (@BJP4India) November 8, 2024
Further attacking Congress, Modi remarked, “Since Nehru’s time, the Congress and his family opposed reservation and now their fourth generation ‘yuvraj’ (prince) is working for caste divisions,” referring to Rahul Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. The Prime Minister also accused the opposition bloc, INDIA, of seeking to remove the Constitution from Jammu and Kashmir, stating that no power could reinstate Article 370 in the Union Territory.
“Only Ambedkar’s Constitution will be followed in J&K,” Modi asserted, referencing the recent controversy in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, where BJP MLAs protested a resolution on restoring Article 370 and were subsequently thrown out.
Modi further attacked the Congress for allegedly playing a dangerous game of dividing communities. “If ST, SC, and OBCs stay united, Congress’s politics will be over,” he claimed. He also reflected on his strong ties with Maharashtra, recalling how the people of the state had supported him during the 2014 elections to end the “misrule” of the previous government. “I am starting my campaign in Maharashtra from Dhule. Each and every candidate of Mahayuti seeks your blessings,” he said.
In his address, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to criticise the opposition’s failure to work towards development, claiming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), in power from November 2019 to June 2022, had obstructed progress by halting key development projects. “The situation changed for the better when the Mahayuti government was formed in June 2022,” Modi stated.
ALSO READ | ‘Let Rahul Gandhi Praise Savarkar, Bal Thackeray For 15 Mins’: PM Modi Dares Congress’ Allies In Maharashtra
Congress And Its Allies Abuse Savarkar Regularly: PM Modi In Nashik
At his second rally in Nashik, Modi shifted his focus to Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him and his party of disrespecting Marathi history and culture. “For us, Marathi history, culture is a centre of faith. Savarkar is a source of inspiration. But the Congress and its allies never gave Marathi the respect it deserves. They abuse Savarkar regularly,” Modi said, calling on the Congress to stop disrespecting Savarkar in the run-up to the elections.
The Prime Minister also accused Congress of trying to weaken and divide the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to regain power, calling the party a “par-jeevi” (“parasite”) that depends on other regional parties to survive. “It is a par-jeevi which is alive on crutches – whether it is Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, or Jharkhand,” he said.
Modi concluded his speech by asserting that the BJP and Mahayuti were transparent in their governance, while the Congress had opened a “shop of lies” and failed to account for its actions. He called on the people of Maharashtra to support the ruling coalition for continued progress.
Polling for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will take place on November 20, with results expected three days later.
