PM Modi talks of Balasaheb but backstabbed his son: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
NASHIK/KOLHAPUR: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said PM Modi speaks of late Balasaheb Thackeray during his rallies, but he "backstabbed his son (Uddhav)." She also challenged Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to conduct the caste census and remove the 50% cap on reservation.
Priyanka was addressing campaign rallies in Shirdi and Kolhapur for the assembly election in Maharashtra on Saturday when she took on the PM and BJP . She said that Maharashtra was being insulted and the principles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were being broken every day.
Priyanka was addressing campaign rallies in Shirdi and Kolhapur for the assembly election in Maharashtra on Saturday when she took on the PM and BJP . She said that Maharashtra was being insulted and the principles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were being broken every day.
"PM comes on the dais and names Balasaheb Thackeray... but he backstabbed his son. (Bal Thackerayji ki baat karte hai, aur unhi ke bete ke peeth mein chura ghopa)," she said addressing a rally at the Gandhi Maidan in Kolhapur. Earlier, speaking in Shirdi, Priyanka said that their (Congress) political ideology was different from the late Balasaheb's in the past. "But Balasaheb, Rahul, or any Congress politician would not tolerate the way BJP and Modi have insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," she said while referring to the statue collapse in Sindhudurg, removal of the Maratha king's statue from Parliament and non-completion of the warrior king's statue for which Modi had laid the foundation stone seven years ago in the Arabian Sea, off Mumbai.
Priyanka referred to the recent speech of PM Modi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai in which he attacked her brother Rahul Gandhi. She dared Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to conduct a caste census and remove the 50% cap on reservations. "Both of them are spreading lies that Rahul is against reservation. In Mumbai's speech, he (Modi) said Rahul Gandhi was against reservation. Rahul Gandhi walked for 4,000 km, led Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai. Everywhere, he was raising the issue of the caste-based census and doing away with 50% cap on reservations. They lie because they are scared...," she added.
She then attacked BJP by saying that it has made a "mockery of the Indian Constitution by stealing the elected govt" of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra.
"The country's Constitution empowers the electorate to elect a govt of their choice by exercising their franchise. In Maharashtra, in 2019, the voters elected MVA to form govt. But BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his party colleagues used money and the central agencies to steal the publicly-elected govt. It is nowhere written that a govt can be formed by such unfair means," Priyanka said.
She asked aloud how BJP could use such a huge amount of money to topple MVA government. "Did BJP use the money meant for development projects in Maharashtra to get rid of MVA government?" she questioned.
Accusing Modi of taking away industrial investments from Maharashtra, Priyanka said former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were not partisan when it came to the implementation of big projects during their tenures. She questioned why Mahayuti had not implemented the Ladki Bahin Yojana soon after it was formed two and a half years ago. She said Modi had no respect for Maharashtra since in the midst of an important election, the PM left the country. Priyanka also said PM Modi's recent speeches had disappointed her because she could not see any truth in them. "It feels as if they are saying one thing and doing another," she said.