Congress is opposite to ‘hardworking’ Mumbai, taking country backwards: PM Modi

He added, “Earlier when the Congress government was in power, there were terror attacks in the city. Announcements were made that if a bag or cooker is found lying unattended, inform the police. Nowadays, have your heard any such announcements? Now people feel safe travelling in local buses and trains.”

Modi listed out developments of the Mahayuti government, including modernising the city in terms of infrastructure, ensuring there were no terror attacks taking place in the city and assisting women and startups through various their schemes. He blamed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for trying to create a divide between various castes and opposing development of various infrastructure projects in the city.

Addressing the crowds, Modi said, “Every country thinks of modernising its major cities and likewise, we have plans for the city. Our government wants to ensure Mumbaikars don’t face any issue related to connectivity. Today in Mumbai, projects worth lakhs of crores are ongoing — be it Metro, local trains, bridges connecting Mumbai, highways to airports — work is ongoing at a high pace.”

The PM further said that MVA had opposed the Ram Mandir issue and had coined the term “bhagwa aatankwad” and insulted VD Savarkar to get votes. “In Kashmir they are also trying to move a proposal to get back Article 370, thereby trying to insult Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. For decades they were in power but did not disgnate Marathi as a classical language,” he added.

Earlier in the day, at a rally in Panvel, PM Modi said Congress gave the “Garibi Hatao” slogan, but looted the poor, adding that the party’s mentality was to ensure the poor did not progress. “If the poor are benefiting, you feel happy, but the Congress doesn’t feel happy about this,” Modi said. “The Congress is far ahead when it comes to vote bank politics, but is the enemy of the poor,” Modi said. The poor have a big responsibility to stop the Congress, he added.

Later during a rally at Sambhaji Nagar, PM Modi said, “Those who have a problem with Sambhaji Maharaj’s name, those who see a messiah in the name of those who killed him, aren’t they standing against Maharashtra and Maratha pride? Aren’t these people against our identity? Will Maharashtra ever accept such people?”

PM Modi added that the Mahayuti government renamed Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and fulfilled Balasaheb Thackeray’s wish. He said the highest foreign direct investment in the state came after after the formation of BJP-led Mahayuti government.