Will get a bigger victory in Maharashtra, says Modi

In his address via video conferencing, Modi said the people of Haryana had foiled the Congress’s plan to divide the people on caste lines, and he expects an even bigger victory for the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the Haryana assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday mounted an attack on the Congress as he launched 10 medical colleges in Maharashtra and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth over ₹7,600 crore in the state.

Thane, India - October 09, 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Directorate of Medical Education and Pharmaceuticals Department and various development works through by video conference at Thane niyojan bhawan Thane ,in Thane,in Mumbai, India, on, Wednesday, October 09, 2024. ( Praful ÊGangurde /HT Photo )

In his address via video conferencing, Modi said the people of Haryana had foiled the Congress’s plan to divide the people on caste lines, and he expects an even bigger victory for the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.

Modi remarked that the Haryana elections had captured the “mood of the nation”. “We completed two terms and have been elected a third time, which is historic. The entire ecosystem of the Congress and a group of urban naxals were involved in misleading the people, but all these conspiracies were foiled. The people trusted the BJP and did not accept the Congress’s politics of divisions,” he said.

Modi alleged that the Congress had spread falsehoods among Dalits but the Dalits in Haryana had thwarted these efforts and provided unprecedented support to the BJP. “Even the OBCs in Haryana were with us because of our developmental works,” he added.

“The Congress believes in divide and rule and finding new narratives to divide the country. Their formula is clear, scare Muslims and convert them as a vote bank. But not a single Congress neta said that there are many castes in Muslims. They are silent on this. But when it comes to Hindus, they start a debate on the caste system. They want to start a war among Hindus on caste lines. They know that if Hindus divide on caste lines, it will benefit them and hence they can play their politics. Wherever there are elections, the Congress uses the same formula and spreads poison,” said Modi.

Claiming the Congress is desperate to return to power, Modi added, “Even the old guard in the Congress is upset and helpless at the present state of the Congress. They will become the biggest factory to spread hate. Mahatma Gandhiji realised this and hence the party must be disbanded. The Congress didn’t shut down, but are on a path to shut down the nation. We have to be alert,” said Modi.

Ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra, the PM said he was sure that the people of Maharashtra would not let the Congress succeed in dividing people on caste lines. “People will unite and vote for Mahayuti in Maharashtra. The BJP won in Haryana and we want a bigger victory in the state (Maharashtra),” said Modi. He claimed the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would weaken the state while the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance would drive its progress.

In response to Modi’s scathing remarks, the Congress said the country is aware of who engages in divisive politics. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, Sachin Sawant, hit back, “We all know who is breaking the country on the basis of religion and caste since 1925, and who believes in Manusmruti. There has been hatred in the country for the last 10 years because of the policies of the Modi government and the BJP.”

During his virtual address, Modi also launched the operationalisation of 10 government medical colleges across Maharashtra – in Mumbai, Ambernath, Nashik, Jalna, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Buldhana, Washim, Bhandara, and Hingoli. He said these districts would become “centers of service” for lakhs of people. The Prime Minister underscored that the 10 new medical colleges would add 900 medical seats in Maharashtra, taking the total number of medical seats in the state to about 6,000. Recalling his resolve to add 75,000 new medical seats in the country, he said today’s event is a big step in this direction.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth over ₹7,600 crore in the state, and the foundation stone for the upgradation of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, which would cost around ₹7,000 crore. He said the new terminal at Shirdi airport would greatly benefit devotees of Sai Baba, allowing more visitors to arrive from across the country and overseas.

He mentioned the upgraded Solapur airport, which would enable devotees to visit nearby spiritual destinations such as Shani Shingnapur, Tulja Bhavani and the Kailas Temple, thereby boosting Maharashtra’s tourism economy and creating employment opportunities. Lastly, he inaugurated the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Mumbai and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Maharashtra.