Pune: Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led opposition at his first election rally at Jalgaon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dared the opposition to make the promise of restoring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in their election manifestos. Arguing that there was no political future for those opposing the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, he accused the Congress, NCP of speaking the language of Pakistan. He added that J&K and Ladhak were not just pieces of land for the BJP, and further claimed that the situation in J&K will be normalized in four months time.
The Prime Minister regretted that some political parties and their leaders (Congress, NCP) are playing politics over the abrogation of Article 370 and these leaders are trying to solicit votes in Maharashtra. Modi remarked that when these parties know that they can do nothing much, why are they making so much noise over it. He challenged the opposition to clear their stand on Article 370 if they had the courage to so. Modi further remarked that the opposition leader’s statements over Article 370 resembled to that of Pakistan.
Modi further claimed that men and women from the Muslim community were looking to a bright future because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government efforts had made good its promise to do away with the archaic practice of triple talaq. He also dared the opposition to restore the regressive practice of triple talaq.
Taking a dig at the Congress, NCP led opposition over senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde’s recent remarks about both the parties having grown tired and stressed for merger, the Prime Minister sarcastically remarked that ‘tired’ parties could be a source of solace for each other, they could certainly not fulfill the dreams and aspirations of Maharashtra’s youth. Modi also expressed shock to see NCP chief Sharad Pawar elbowing a man on stage during one of his recent campaign rallies. He added that if this he could do to his own party worker for trying to take a photo, then what will he do to the general public.
Heaping praise on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ government, he said that today, Maharashtra and Mumbai are being discussed across the world because of Devendra Fadnavis led BJP-Shiv Sena government has delivered on the promise of a developed Maharashtra. Fadnavis in his speech urged party workers not to pay attention to party rebels and not support them. Fadnavis took a sarcastic dig at the belated entry of former Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in poll campaign, stating that at first he thought the Gandhi scion must be in Haryana, then he thought he must be in his Wayanad constituency, then he came to know he was in Bangkok, while his party is in disarray in Maharashtra. The former Congress president was reluctant to campaign and did so after being implored by the party cadres.
