Congress alleges: BJP stoking communal tensions, instigating regional conflicts

Sachin Sawant speaking at the event on Friday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

In a recent address, Sachin Sawant, the spokesperson of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), vehemently criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for stoking communal tensions and instigating regional conflicts. Speaking at the event on Friday, Sawant accused the BJP of resorting to divisive tactics ahead of the upcoming elections.

Sawant's remarks came in response to the BJP's attempts to "polarise voters along religious lines". He condemned the BJP for bringing up the Hindu-Muslim issue, calling it a dangerous ploy to divert attention from real issues affecting the country. Sawant urged the public to see through such tactics and focus on pressing concerns such as unemployment, inflation, and healthcare.

"The BJP is using all possible means of bringing up the Hindu-Muslim conflict with instances of the prime minister using words like Muslim and Jihad, while also saying that if you vote the Congress, the votes will be counted as votes to Pakistan in an address during a rally," he said.

Turning his attention to Mumbai, Sawant criticized BJP candidates for exacerbating the Gujarati-Marathi conflict. He accused them of inflaming regional sentiments for political gain, warning that such actions could lead to social discord. "Instead of bringing up the Gujrati-Marathi conflict, the BJP candidates could have brought up the issues faced by the common man to ask for votes. If the candidates are resorting to such ways now, imagine how they will work after being elected. They will not pay attention to the ‘aam aadmis' needs and will use the power for their own benefit," he said.

Furthermore, Sawant spoke of the recent bail granted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "The Supreme Court too has realised that the BJP government is using central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to suppress the Opposition. BJP has been misusing these agencies to intimidate and harass political opponents, undermining democracy. The blatant arrest of two CMs without any evidence is proof that BJP is using these agencies to deliberately disintegrate their parties."

Sawant also cited the example of Ravindra Waikar and how he was forced to switch parties because of the ED case against him. "Waikar had only two options… either go to jail or change his party to avoid ED harassment," he said.