As Maharashtra Polls Inch Closer, Modi's 'Praise Balasaheb' Challenge To Congress

PM Modi fired a fresh salvo at Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and dared former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to get Rahul Gandhi to praise Balasaheb Thackeray.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting in Mumbai. (Photo: PTI)

Maharashtra Polls 2024: With Maharashtra Assembly elections around the corner, the political battlefield is heating with each passing day. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance and Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi are engaging in a war of words and trading blames amid the race to the Chief Minister’s chair.

Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired a fresh salvo at Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and dared former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to get the "shehzada of Congress" (Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi) to praise Balasaheb Thackeray.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday ridiculed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for "handing over the remote control" of his party to the Congress. Addressing his last rally for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections in Shivaji Park in Mumbai, PM Modi said that the entire state is blessing BJP-led Mahayuti. "This is my last public meeting in Maharashtra for this election. I have visited the entire Maharashtra during this time... The blessings of the entire Maharashtra are with Mahayuti," he said.

Stating that Mumbai is a city of "self-respect," the Prime Minister stated that there is a party in the Aghadi that has handed over its "remote control" to the grand old party that insulted Balasaheb. "Mumbai is a city of self-respect, but a party in Maha Vikas Aghadi has handed over its 'remote control' to those who insulted Balasaheb Thackeray," he said.

"That is why I challenged them to get the Congress to praise Balasaheb Thackeray. To date, these people have not been able to get the Congress and the 'shehzada' of Congress to praise Balasaheb," he further stated. PM Modi said that the "shaahi parivaar" will snatch away reservations if Congress comes to power in Maharashtra.

"Mumbai is a city that believes in connecting people. Unfortunately, the Congress and the Maha Aghadi seem focused on dividing them instead. People from all communities live in harmony in Mumbai, but the Maha Aghadi is busy inciting tensions between different castes. 

The Congress's Shahi parivaar harbours animosity towards Dalits, backward classes, and Scheduled Tribes (STs). They seem desperate for power, much like a fish out of water," the PM said. The campaigning has intensified for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to woo the electorate.

The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20 and counting will be held on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, the BJP won 105 seats, undivided Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, MVA posed a strong performance, winning 30 of 48 seats, while the Mahayuti could only win 17.

(With ANI Inputs)