‘Ek hai toh safe hai’: PM Modi’s message to OBCs, Dalits as he targets Cong over politics of ‘discord’

“If STs (Scheduled Tribes), SCs (Scheduled Castes), and OBCs stay united, the politics of Congress will be over. The Congress has become parasitic and is surviving on crutches. It can contest polls only with the support of other parties, it cannot stand on its own and hence to survive, it has resorted to its oldest tactic of dividing SCs, STs, and OBCs by sowing seeds of discord among them to weaken their unity,” Modi said.

“Since Nehru’s time, the Congress and his family opposed reservation and now their fourth generation ‘Yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi)’ is working for caste divisions. The Congress fears OBC unity because when OBCs are united, the Congress loses and hence the party wants to create animosity and conflict among the castes falling under the OBC category. Today, with the blessings of the OBCs, an OBC is Prime Minister for the third time, and the Congress cannot accept this. They wonder how an OBC could rise to the position of Prime Minister. But as I say: ‘Ek hai toh safe hai,’” the PM said.

The Congress and the BJP are going head to head in 76 of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, with the outcome in these seats holding the potential of tipping the balance towards whichever side comes out on top.

Modi said the Opposition party was playing a “dangerous game of dividing castes and communities”. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Opposition successfully managed to damage the BJP’s electoral prospects by campaigning about the alleged threat the party would pose to reservation if it returned to power in the Centre with an even bigger mandate than in 2019. This is why a big section of Dalits and OBCs is believed to have swung towards the Opposition in the parliamentary elections. At present, different communities such as Marathas, OBCs, and Dhangars (a nomadic community of shepherds asking for ST status) have raised demands related to reservation.

Modi dared Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to publicly praise Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. He asked Uddhav Thackeray to make him do so, saying Gandhi had “repeatedly insulted Savarkar” despite being in alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT). “How can he (Uddhav) align with the Congress, which neither respects Savarkar nor Balasaheb?” the PM asked.

Alleging that the Congress played politics over religion that led to Partition, Modi said the party was now indulging in the politics of caste. “There can be no bigger conspiracy against the country than this,” he said.

The PM accused the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, of which the Congress is a part, of wanting to take the Constitution out of Jammu and Kashmir and said no power in the world could restore Article 370. The Congress and its allies should not encourage “Pakistan’s agenda” or “speak the language of separatists” and their agenda would not succeed till he had people’s blessings, Modi said.

“These Congress people have no regard for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. They carry a book with blank pages inside and pass it off as the Constitution of India. The Congress created a wall in the form of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and because of that the Constitution of India was not implemented there. But the BJP revoked Article 370 and implemented the Constitution in J&K and this is my biggest tribute to Dr Ambedkar. The whole country was happy and celebrating when 370 was removed but the Congress was upset. You must have seen on TV how a resolution was moved in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on bringing back Article 370 and when BJP MLAs protested, they were thrown out. The country and Maharashtra should understand this,” said the PM.

Modi also praised the governance track record of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, of which the BJP is a part, and raised concerns about alleged corruption and poor fiscal situation in Congress-ruled states.

“Congress has opened a ‘loot ki dukaan (a shop of corruption)’ in states where it is in power. In these states, the situation has deteriorated to the point where their treasuries are empty and they struggle to pay salaries. To make up, the Congress is increasing taxes, using this revenue for corrupt purposes and to cover up financial mismanagement. Wherever the Congress governs, scams are inevitable,” the PM said.

In comparison, “Mahayuti ahe tar gati ahe, Maharashtra chi pragati ahe (If Mahayuti is there, there is progress)”, the PM declared in Nashik. “The MVA put roadblocks on development projects and stopped every scheme that could have improved people’s lives. The situation changed when, with your blessings, the Mahayuti government was formed,” he said.

Modi alleged that the MVA would “halt the ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme if elected” and only the Mahayuti would be able to sustain Maharashtra’s development. “If voted to power, the MVA will scrap the scheme. Every woman should be wary of the MVA,” he said.

The PM cited the example of the Vadhavan port in Palghar district as a “shining example” of the Eknath Shinde government’s commitment to infrastructure development. After the Mahayuti returns to power, “I will work with Devendra Fadnavis on his demand for an airport near the port”, he added.

“In a double-engine government, the farmers receiving the benefits of the Kisan Samman Nidhi and Namo Shetkari Maha Samman Nidhi under which financial help of Rs 12,000 is provided annually … I want to tell my farmer friends that when our government is formed again in Maharashtra, this help of Rs 12,000 will increase to Rs 15,000. Lakhs of families of farmers in the state will benefit hugely from this,” said the PM.