Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) resounding victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, calling it a win for development, good governance, and social justice. Speaking at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, he criticised the Congress and its allies for what he described as "negative politics" and "divisive agenda."
“Those who are familiar with Maharashtra would know that when people raise the slogan of 'Jai Bhavani,' they also raise slogans of 'Jai Shivaji'. We are celebrating a historic win,” Modi said. He attributed the victory to the NDA's commitment to "developmentalism, good governance, and true social justice," while accusing the opposition of deceit and divisive politics.
"Maharashtra voters need to be appreciated for choosing stability. Some people tried to cause disruption by deceit, and the voters of Maharashtra have punished them for it. Maharashtra is an important engine for the country's development, so this mandate will enable 'Viksit Bharat'," PM Modi said.
"Ek hai toh safe hai has become the country's 'maha-mantra'. Congress's ecosystem thought they could lie about the constitution and reservation, causing division in SC-ST communities. Maharashtra voters have rejected this, the voters have said 'Ek hai toh safe hai' which has taught a lesson to those dividing people in the name of caste, religion, language, and regions," he added.
"All communities voted for the BJP, this is a strong reply to the divisive agenda of the Congress and its ecosystem," he further said.
Modi praised Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, acknowledging their roles in the electoral success.
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PM Modi highlighted, “The land of greats like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitribai Phule, Veer Savarkar, and Balasaheb Thackeray broke all records. In the last 50 years, this is the biggest mandate for a pre-poll alliance.”
The Prime Minister highlighted the BJP's strong performance, stating, “BJP alone has gotten more seats than the Congress and its allies. This shows that the country only trusts the BJP for development.” He added that this was the third consecutive time a BJP-led alliance had secured victory in the state.
“Maharashtra voters need to be appreciated for choosing stability. They have punished those who tried to cause disruption by deceit,” he remarked, noting that the mandate would contribute to the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India).
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He also targeted Congress for its alleged appeasement politics through the Waqf Act, contrasting it with the vision of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, "Congress made laws for appeasement. They did not even care about the Supreme Court's order. An example of this is the Waqf Board. The people of Delhi will be surprised. The situation was that before leaving the government in 2014, these people had handed over many properties of Delhi and surrounding areas to the Waqf Board. There is no place for Waqf law in the Constitution given to us by Babasaheb Ambedkar, but the Congress did this to increase its vote bank."
Modi criticised the Congress for its failure to understand the country's changing political mood. “Voters don’t want instability; they are with 'Nation first' and are against those prioritising 'Kursi first' (power first). The Congress has become a parasitic party that destroys its allies. Maharashtra voters have seen that Congress did not fulfill the promises it made in Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh,” he claimed.
"The Congress has become a parasitic party that also destroys its allies, which can be seen in Maharashtra. It cannot form any state government on its own. Their allies lost every one seat in five, their strike is lower than 20%. Congress drowns and takes its allies with it," he remarked reiterating his parjeevi (parasite) jibe at the Congress.
Modi accused the Gandhi family of dividing society along caste lines, stating, “There was a time when Indira Gandhi spoke against caste division. Now, the Congress and Gandhi family are spreading the caste divide in their hunger for power. The Gandhi family ate up Congress. Is only one family capable of running the Congress? This family has made it difficult for honest Congress workers to work there. Congress prioritises the Gandhi family and not the public, such a party is harmful to the people.”
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Maharashtra Election Results: PM Modi Reminds Congress Of His Balasaheb, Savarkar Challenge; Calls It 'Double-Faced'
Modi took aim at the Congress for failing to honour Veer Savarkar and Balasaheb Thackeray recalling his poll challenge to the MVA. “The Congress allied with a faction of Shiv Sena for power but could not praise Balasaheb Thackeray's policies. I had challenged MVA to get the Congress leaders to praise his policies, but they could not make it happen. My second challenge was regarding Veer Savarkar. Their leadership has constantly insulted and abused him. Their double-faced nature was evident in their temporary cessation of insults against Savarkar, but they could not speak about his sacrifices,” he remarked.
The Prime Minister also reiterated his 'urban naxal' accusation at the Congress saying, "The Congress family cannot live without power. It can do anything to win elections. Today, urban Naxalism of Congress has become a new challenge for India. The remote control of urban Naxalites is outside the country and that is why everyone has to be very careful of this urban Naxalism. Today, the youth of the country, everyone has to understand the reality of Congress."
According to the latest results by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on its website, the BJP has won 126 seats and is ahead in six, Shiv Sena won 55 and is leading in two, NCP won 40 seats and was ahead in one seat. Among the MVA, Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, Congress won 13 and is leading in three seats, while the NCP-SP won 10 seats.