Affirming that the future of Maharashtra and the Nation would only be bright with the riddance of the Congress and its allies, Shri Narendra Modi gave the clarion call of a Congress-free India during his address at rallies in Sangli, Solapur and Latur in Maharashtra, in the afternoon of 9th April. He spoke of the Congress’ indifferent attitude towards the development of its citizens, and called upon the people to end the rule of ‘shasaks’ (rulers) and give a ‘sevak’ (servant) the chance to serve the country. Shri Modi urged the people to support the BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI Mahayuti in Maharashtra and take the lead in bringing the change the Nation deserves.
The Congress’ neglect for its people was clearly brought forth by Shri Modi when he mentioned of the Party’s Manifesto as a ‘Dhokha Patra’ which repeated its old promises. Shri Modi affirmed that the Nation had understood the Congress’ dubious policies and wished to punish those who had ruined the Nation.
Expressing concern for the lack of development in Sangli, Shri Modi stated how the votebank politics of the Congress had rid the Nation of its development potential. Citing votebank politics as the biggest enemy of democracy, he mentioned how it had destroyed the social and cultural fabric of the country, and ruined its people of progress. Shri Modi affirmed that the mantra for the Congress was ‘Har haath loot, har honth jhooth’, and spoke of how promises of growth opportunities were made for the Dhangar and Bunkar samaj by the ruling government, but never fulfilled. He added that the only family to have benefitted was the Shinde family in Maharashtra and the one in Delhi.
Shri Modi further talked about the games played by the NCP and the Congress and spoke of how certain policies like the LBT tax, which according to Shri Modi was ‘Looto Baaton tax’, instituted by the Maharashtra State government, had rid the State and its people of their growth potential. He also retaliated to the Congress Vice President’s statement of the need to have 125 crore ‘chowkidaars’ and questioned him if the list would also include corrupted and tainted ministers like Shri Ashok Chavan, who did not hesitate in taking away the homes meant for the widows of Kargil heroes.
Recalling the magnificent work done by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards the prosperity of Maharashtra and the welfare of its farmers, Shri Modi spoke of how the Maharashtra government had paid no heed to ensure this. Laying emphasis on the need to ensure adequate water supply for farming activities, and citing it as the most important prerequisite for farmers’ prosperity, Shri Modi assured the people of the BJP’s focus on ensuring this through adoption of technology and the implementation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji’s dream of linking rivers. This, and more such acts by the ruling party and the Central government, Shri Modi said, had distorted Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri ji’s mantra of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ and changed it to ‘Mar Jawan, Mar Kisan’.
Shri Modi expressed concern that despite having Krishna river in its vicinity, a major part of Sangli was facing water shortage. This, Shri Modi said, clearly reflected the State Government’s indifference towards the problems faced by its people. He condemned how under the Congress, the Nation had witnessed misgovernance to the hilt, and affirmed of the BJP’s focus on bringing in ‘surajya’ through its mantra of good governance and development. Emphasizing how the empowerment of farmers was a key aspect in contributing to the Nation’s financial strength, Shri Modi mentioned how the BJP’s Manifesto focused on ensuring this by fixing the minimum support price by adding 50 per cent to the total input cost for the farmer. This, Shri Modi, said would lead to better revenues for the farming community. In Solapur, Shri Modi spoke of the untapped potential of the textile industry, and questioned the State Government’s lack of foresightedness in tapping it and generate employment from it.
Shri Modi critiqued the Congress' lack of empathy for the poor saying poverty was a part of tourism for them. They visited villages, sat with the poor and ate their food only to get pictures clicked. “They don’t know what poverty is. People who are born with a golden spoon, how can they know what poverty is?” said Shri Modi. Recalling his childhood days as a tea-seller, Shri Modi said that he very well understood the pain of being poor, and affirmed that his experience then had only made his resolution of serving the poor more firm.
He also spoke of how the NCP or the Congress’ only focus was on finding a solution to Modi rather than finding ways to tackle the grave concerns of price rise, corruption, unemployment, poverty and the welfare of farmers and women.
Shri Modi applauded the presence of the massive crowd and spoke of how the 2014 Elections were not about the arithmetical calculations of political analysts, but were rather about the chemistry of the emotions of the people. Stating that the 2014 Elections were about the fight between a ‘Naamdar and a Kaamdar’, he appealed to the people to vote for the BJP and support a government that will work towards the welfare of its people, with a special focus on the welfare of the underprivileged.
Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Shri Vinod Tawde were among the senior BJP leaders present during the rallies.
Glimpses of Shri Narendra Modi's rally in Solapur
Glimpses of Shri Narendra Modi's rally in Latur
