Congress cannot tolerate an OBC Prime Minister: Modi

PM accuses Congress of provoking a fight between OBC communities to weaken them; claims Congress betrayed the Constitution by opposing the abrogation of Article 370, blames Congress for farmers’ woes in Nanded

Accusing the Congress of dividing other backward class (OBC) communities in a bid to take away their reservations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (November 9, 2024) alleged that the Opposition party could not “tolerate” a Prime Minister from the community.

“The Congress stand is clear: the moment OBCs weaken, they become stronger,” Mr. Modi said, addressing a rally at Akola as part of the campaign for Maharashtra’s upcoming Assembly election. He claimed that when OBCs became powerful, the Congress could not come to power with a full majority.

“In Nanded, the Congress provoked a fight between Vani and Mali, Sutar and Sonar, Nihari and Nirali, Teli and Paanchar. Remember, if you are divided, the Congress will take away your reservations; from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi, everyone tried to do this. They cannot tolerate an OBC Prime Minister,” he added, while addressing another public meeting at Nanded.

‘Congress betrayed the Constitution’

Thousands of people, clad in saffron caps and mufflers, braved the scorching sun and queued for over half a kilometre to reach the Nanded rally venue. The Prime Minister is slated to address at least nine rallies in the State, part of the BJP’s attempt to prevent a repeat of its poor performance here in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.

Mr. Modi attempted to reverse the Opposition narrative that the “BJP will change the constitution”. Taking a potshot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the small red covered copy of the Constitution he has displayed at public gatherings, the Prime Minister said, “The Congress has broken their own record. The red book he is selling is empty, not a single word is written in it. They hate Ambedkar’s Constitution and are trying to carve their own Constitution. Truth is they hate Ambedkar’s Constitution. They betrayed it for the first time in Kashmir. Everyone accepted the quashing of Article 370, but the Congress did not let it go.”

He also attacked the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) which has allied with the Congress. “Marathi Manoos will not let the Congress win, as they are running the agenda of Pakistan in India. These people are playing with the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. The people of Maharashtra people will definitely teach them a lesson,” he said.

Critical contest

Nanded is the stronghold of former BJP Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, whose daughter Sreejaya Chavan has been fielded from the Bhokar Assembly seat that falls within the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. After losing Nanded in the general election, Mr. Modi’s presence here was seen as a critical boost to the BJP’s campaign, especially given that a bypoll is being held for the Lok Sabha seat as well.

He entered the rally venue to enthusiastic slogans and shouts of, “Kon aaya, kon aaya — dekho Hindustan ka shera aaya”, hailing him as the “lion of Hindustan”. His speech also mentioned the names of all the deities of Marathwada, from Khandoba to Khamkeshwar.

Farmers’ woes

However, he got a lukewarm response to his bid to blame the Congress, which has controlled Nanded for four decades, as the “root cause” for farmers’ woes. There was little applause when he praised the ruling Mahayuti government for giving concessions to farmers, including at least ₹8,000 crore to rescue soyabean farmers.

“The Congress only brought everything, farming was better in their time. Why he is saying like this?” asked Sukabai, a resident of Sakoli village in Nanded.

Other attendees were more enthused. Somnath, who voted for the late Congress MP Vasantrao Chavan in the Lok Sabha election, said, “I committed a mistake and that will be rectified this time.” Others at the rally called the speech “mind fresh”, indicating that Mr. Modi had offered them food for thought regarding the upcoming election.

Published - November 09, 2024 11:28 pm IST