Slamming the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday said that the Congress has a mentality to ‘rule the country’ and it wants to suppress the Adivasi (tribal) communities by blocking their progress. Addressing a rally in Chimur in Vidarbha on Tuesday, Modi said Congress is that ‘Shahi Pariwar’ (royal family), that always preferred to divide and rule among tribal communities in the country. The total population of tribal communities in India is 10%. Congress wants Adivasi people to lose their identity as Scheduled Tribe (ST), said Modi. In Maharashtra, Congress and MVA always tried to divide Halba and Halbi communities, Gond and Raj Gond communities, and Pathari and Saroti communities for its own benefits, he said. Modi said, “Congress never allowed these communities to progress even after Independence. Congress never was in favour of reservation.”

 

Modi recalled an advertisement from the 1980s during the rule of Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress, which questioned the special rights granted to Dalits and other marginalised groups. “If the tribal community in the country wants to save its existence and reservation, then they have to stand united against the agenda of Congress and confront them. Adivasi people should come forward and choose Mahayuti in Maharashtra for their better future,” said Modi. Modi also accused Congress that it has done PhD in putting a brake on all type of development works. “Congress has done double PhD in stopping development works. The Devendra Fadnavis-led government started Jalayukta Shiwar in Maharashtra which was stopped by the then MVA Government in Maharashtra. In 2.5 years of MVA’s rule, they stopped various metro, expressway projects, new rail corridors etc in State,” alleged Modi.

 

“The fast development of Maharashtra that took place in last few years under the governance of BJP-led Mahayuti Government is not the forte of MVA alliance. All the Congress and MVA knows is to stop all development projects,” said the Prime Minister. Modi also reiterated his government’s stance on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “The Constitution of India which was prepared by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, was never implemented in Jammu and Kashmir since Independence and it is because the Congress Government never wanted to implement it there.” “In last 70 years, people of J&K were the biggest sufferer of terrorism which was always encouraged by the Congress government. BJP is the party which abrogated the Article 370 which was misused by Congress and its alliances in J&K since Independence. Now after its abrogation, the same parties are claiming to bring back Article 370 in J&K and they even tabled the proposal in the House in J&K,” said Modi. “Congress and its allies politically benefited from violence and separatism. Whereas, BJP and Mahayuti Government worked to remove Naxalism from Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and contributed vastly to the district’s development,” he said. Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts are the biggest victims of Naxalism in the State. Many people lost their lives due to Naxal movement in these districts. Congress played with lives of people here for their own benefits. It is the BJP government which applied brakes on the Naxal movement that exploited the tribals and hampered the development of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts for last seven decades, claimed Modi. Modi expressed confidence that the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance would retain power in Maharashtra, citing the large crowd at his rally as evidence of strong public support. He also promised that the BJP’s election manifesto would guarantee the State’s development. The meeting was also attended by Praful Patel, Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction); Sudhir Mungantiwar, Minister of Forest, Government of Maharashtra; Ramdas Tadas, Lok Sabha MP; Kirtikumar alias Bunti Bhangdia, BJP candidate from Chimur; Shobhatai Fadnavis, MLA; Sudhir Parve; and other Mahayuti leaders.