Join Ajit, Shinde instead of dying with Congress: PM Modi tells Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray
Nandurbar (Maharashtra), May 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday advised the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) to join hands with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde after Lok Sabha poll results instead of “dying by merging” with the Congress.
“A big leader here who is active for 40-50 years is worried after polling in Baramati (Lok Sabha seat). He says that after June 4, smaller parties, in order to survive, will merge with the Congress,” Modi said, without naming Sharad Pawar.
“This means the nakli NCP and nakli Shiv Sena have made up their minds to merge with the Congress,” Modi said, addressing an election rally in Nandurbar district of north Maharashtra.
“But instead of dying by merging with the Congress, come to Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde,” Modi said.
In the Nandurbar seat, the BJP has renominated incumbent MP Heena Gavi, who is pitted against Gowaal Padavi of Congress. The constituency will go to polls in the fourth phase of the general elections on May 13.
“In the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress. Or they may look at the option of merging with the Congress if they believe that is the best for their party,” NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had told The Indian Express.
Speaking at the rally, Modi also accused the Congress of conspiring to end “Hindu aastha" (faith). The guru of Congress’ 'shehzada' has told the US that Ram temple and Ram Navmi festivities are against the idea of India, he said, targeting Sam Pitroda, former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.
Pitroda on Wednesday resigned after stoking controversy with his remarks that cited ethnic and racial identities like Chinese, Africans, Arabs and Whites to describe the physical appearance of Indians.
“Congress calls people with Lord Krishna’s colour as Africans. So they didn't want Droupadi Murmu to be the President of India. Isn't it an insult of adivasis,” he asked.
The PM said that the Congress’ agenda is so dangerous that if it terms Ram temple construction and Ram Navami celebrations against the idea of India. “They may say my going to temple is anti-India. See the Congress mindset, that in the land of Ram, a temple is anti-India.”
These people organise “sarkari Iftar” and beautify graves of terrorists, he said.
In an apparent reference to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s alleged comment about “burying him in Maharashtra just like Mughal emperor Aurangzeb”, Modi said, those from the duplicate Sena are speaking of burying him alive.
They have also got a bomb blast accused for election campaigning, he said, referring to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. “These people have lost public support and their political space has eroded. People of India are my security cover. These people can't bury me alive or dead," he said.
Providing quota benefits on the basis of religion is against the very values and principles enshrined in our Constitution, he said. As long as he is alive, Modi said, he won't let an "inch" of reservation of Dalits, adivasis and OBCs be taken away on the basis of religion.
Extending Akshaya Tritiya greetings to the people, he said, “Your blessings to me on this occasion shows that a third term for me is guaranteed.”
Modi said service to adivasis and deprived sections is like serving family members for him.
“I am not like Congress’ ‘shahi parivar’ but was raised in a poor family. Adivasis and the poor had suffered a lot in terms of lack of access to housing, electricity and water even after 60 years of independence. But my government has worked hard to improve their lives,” said the BJP’s star campaigner.
He said the Congress has no concern for adivasis and did nothing to eradicate sickle cell anemia, prevalent among tribals.
Modi said his government has initiated steps in that direction to secure the future generations of tribals.
He said the Congress knows it cannot match Modi over development. “So it has opened a factory of lies on reservation and Constitution.” Their ecosystem is filled with rumours, he said.
“On the Constitution change rumour, it is nothing but a ‘chor machaya shor’ (thieves creating noise) situation for Congress. It wants to introduce reservations based on religion which is against the Constitution. Making such an attempt is like stabbing the maker of the Constitution in the back,” he said.
Alleging that the Congress wants to replicate its “Karnataka model” across the country by snatching quotas from SC, ST and OBC and giving those to their minority vote banks, Modi cautioned people to be alert.
In Karnataka, the Congress turned Muslims into OBCs overnight and now it wants to snatch quotes from tribals and Dalits, he said.
“The Maha Vikas Aghadi is running a ‘maha abhiyan’ (mega drive) to finish off quota while I am doing ‘maha rakshan ka maha yagna’ (grand ritual for protection) to save it,” he said.
“I have been challenging the Congress to give in writing that it will not end the SC and ST quota and give it to Muslims. But the Congress is not replying. They have a hidden agenda to loot your rights. But they are spreading rumours by being hand in glove with anti-national elements,” he said.
“Modi is the ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) to protect the rights of the deprived sections of society,” he said.
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Kangana Ranaut shown black flags in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti, BJP files complaint with CEO
Shimla, May 20: Actor Kangana Ranaut, BJP candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, was shown black flags by local people and Congress workers at Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti on Monday.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer (CEO) demanding transfer of election officials and an investigation into the incident as both the BJP and the Congress were given permission to hold rallies adjacent to each other.
The Congress workers raised anti-Kangana slogans - "Kangana, go back, Kangana Vangana nahi chalegi". They were apparently enraged over her remarks on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in April last year.
Ranaut had tweeted a meme featuring the Dalai Lama that said, "The Dalai Lama receives a warm welcome at the White house". The photoshopped picture in the tweet showed the Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out with US President Joe Biden with a comment - Both of them have the same illness, definitely they could be friends.
Following this, a group of Buddhists staged a dharna outside her office in Mumbai.
Later she apologised saying she didn't mean to hurt anyone, and it was a harmless joke about Biden being friends with the Dalai Lama.
Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, who had accompanied Ranaut to Kaza to campaign for the BJP, on Monday alleged that the Congress workers tried to disturb the meeting of the BJP and pelted stones on their carcade while they were returning.
Talking to reporters, he said, "It is unfortunate that for the first time, permission was given to hold a parallel rally at the venue to the Congress where prior permission was already granted to the BJP to hold the rally.
Efforts were made to disturb our rally and the Congress workers raised shameful slogans, stopped our carcade and pelted stones, injuring one person."
Thakur added that they go for campaigning all over the state but such things have happened for the first time, which shows "frustration" of the Congress and they would take up the issue with the Election Commission.
Later, in a complaint filed with the Himachal Pradesh CEO, BJP state office secretary Parmod Kumar Thakur said the Congress workers allegedly tried to illegally restrain the political procession and even pelted stones and demanded an investigation into the incident.
"The district administration granted permission for organising a political meeting to the Congress adjacent to the place already scheduled to hold a political meeting of the BJP at Kaza under undue influence of the state government in utter violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)", he said.
In the complaint, the BJP demanded the immediate transfer of election officials from Lahaul and Spiti and said giving permission to both the parties at the same location at the same time was a "big lapse" on the part of the Election Commission "in spite of the fact that permission to the BJP was provided first and the officers involved in this act are biased against the BJP, and free and fair elections are doubtful under the circumstances."
Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chowdhary told PTI that workers of both the BJP and the ruling Congress came face to face but there was no clash and no person was injured. However, one worker sprained his leg, he added.
Bhishan Shashni, Congress election coordinator for Lahaul and Spiti claimed that the Congress workers were peacefully protesting but a large number of people, who were hurt by Ranaut's remarks about the Tibetan spiritual leader, joined the protest.
Earlier, Congress candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh had asked why Ranaut did not visit Spiti and returned from Reckong Peo alleging that she was afraid she would be shown black flags for her remarks against the Dalai Lama.
