As the Maharashtra assembly elections approach, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, referring to it as a force of destruction. While addressing a public rally during his campaign, Shah contrasted the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance with the MVA, calling the latter a symbol of destruction in contrast to Mahayuti, which he described as promoting development.
“You have to decide whether to bring to power those who promote development or those who bring destruction,” Shah said, emphasizing the BJP’s focus on progress. He also criticized the Congress for allegedly failing to provide sufficient funds to Maharashtra during the UPA government’s tenure from 2004 to 2014.
“During the tenure of Congress, the Centre allocated just Rs 1.51 lakh crore to Maharashtra. But since 2014, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Rs 10.15 lakh crore has been provided to the state,” Shah said, highlighting the contrast between the two parties’ contributions.
Shah also took the opportunity to promote the achievements of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He claimed that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India has become a more prosperous and safer nation, pointing out that the country had moved up to the fifth spot in global economic rankings, compared to the 11th position during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “By 2027, India will be the third-largest economy in the world,” he added.
The Home Minister further criticized the promises made by the MVA leaders, calling them false and unreliable. “The promises made by the MVA are mere rhetoric. Recently, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that only achievable promises should be made. But Congress governments in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana failed to fulfill their promises,” Shah said. “On the other hand, the promises made by Prime Minister Modi are concrete and irreversible.”
Shah also took a swipe at the MVA over the Ram Mandir issue, accusing Congress of deliberately stalling the construction of the temple for years. “For decades, Congress kept the Ram Mandir issue pending, using delaying tactics,” he alleged. “But under Modi, we made the Ram Temple a reality, and for the first time in 550 years, Ram Lalla celebrated Diwali in Ayodhya.”
Shah’s remarks came as Maharashtra gears up for the assembly elections on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. The contest is expected to be a fierce battle between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, and the MVA, which includes the Congress, the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
(With inputs from ANI)
