Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday hailed the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra as "historic" and said this sends out the message of "ek hai to safe hain" (safe when united) to the whole country. Addressing the BJP workers from the party headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said: "Maharashtra has broken all records. In the last 50 years, this has been the biggest win for any party or pre-poll alliance. This is the third consecutive time that under the leadership of BJP, any alliance has been blessed by Maharashtra. And this is the third consecutive term that BJP has emerged the largest party in Maharashtra. This is definitely historic. This is a stamp on BJP's model of governance. Maharashtra is sixth state which has given BJP mandate for three straight terms." Modi's speech comes after the BJP led the Mahayuti Alliance - which includes the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP - to sweep the state, with the BJP alone crossing past the 100-seats mark. Modi congratulated all workers of the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) workers across the country. He said: "Today we have gathered here to celebrate the occasion of another historic victory. Today, development has won in Maharashtra, good governance and true social justice has won in Maharashtra. And, lies, deceit, divisive forces have badly lost. Negative politics has been defeated. Today, dynasty politics has lost. Today, Maharashtra has strengthened the promise of 'Viksit Bharat'. I also appreciate Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar." Highlighting the party's victory in the bypolls held in other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, the PM said: "UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have given immense support to BJP. People in Assam have once again extended their faith on BJP. In Madhya Pradesh too, we have been successful. In Bihar as well, support to NDA has increased. This shows that the country only wants development now. I bow down to the voters of Maharashtra, the youth, the women, farmers, and the people of the entire country." However, as tables turned in Jharkhand, with the INDIA bloc edging past the BJP-led NDA, by securing a majority in the state, Modi said: "I also want to thank the people of Jharkhand. We will work harder to ensure faster development in Jharkhand.," he asserted in his speech. As vote counting continues for Jharkhand’s 81 Assembly constituencies, the JMM-led alliance is ahead in 56 seats, while the NDA is leading in 24. "After Haryana, the biggest message of this election is unity. 'Ek hain toh safe hain' has become the 'maha-mantra' of the country," the Prime Minister asserted. On Opposition Taking a dig at the Opposition for their loss in Maharashtra and elsewhere, PM Modi said: "The Congress and its ecosystem had thought that by spreading lies in the name of the Constitution, they could divide the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in small groups. This is a solid slap on their faces." He also stated that Indian voters chose those who put "nation first", not those who put "kursi (chair) first". "People have made divisive forces bite the dust. The Congress and its allies have failed to grasp the changed realities of the country's mood," the prime minister added. "Only Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution is acceptable to people. The country will completely reject those who will talk about two Constitutions. Congress and its allies tried to once again build the wall of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which is disrespectful to the Constitution as well. Maharashtra gave them a response that this will not be bearable. No power in the world can bring Article 370 back," Modi said.
