Maharashtra elections 2024: Why Mahayuti, Union govts keen on undermining Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, asks Congress

Jairam Ramesh. File Pic

Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra elections 2024, the Congress on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by posing questions to him on Maharashtra and asked why the Mahayuti and the Union governments keen on "undermining" Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's rallies in Maharashtra, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed three questions to him, including what is his vision to address water scarcity in Marathwada.

Why is the Mahayuti and the Union Government keen on "undermining" Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Ramesh asked.

"Raigad was the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - one of India's greatest sons, whom the Mahayuti Government in Maharashtra and its patron in New Delhi have been undermining," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Seven years ago, the PM laid the foundation stone for a 696-feet statue of Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai but it has since been silently abandoned by his government, he said.

"In a petty effort to spite the people of Maharashtra after their stinging debacle on June 4th, they removed the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from its place of prominence outside the Parliament House," Ramesh alleged.

"BJP leaders, in their attempts to ingratiate themselves to the self-proclaimed divinity, have belittled the Chhatrapati by comparing him to the non-biological PM," he said.

"The Mahayuti didn't even spare the Chhatrapati from its extortion and loot. The 35-ft statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg was made so shoddily that it collapsed within a year of its inauguration by the non-biological PM himself," Ramesh said.

What is the source of this hatred and constant attempt to belittle the Chhatrapati, he asked.

"What hope can the Aam Aadmi have from a man who has given jumlas even to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?" the Congress leader said.

He further asked what is Modi's vision to address water scarcity in Marathwada.

In 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised a Rs 20,000 to 25,000 crore package to build a water grid from Marathwada that would supply piped drinking water to every village, he pointed out.

Summer this year marked five years of this promise - and it was one of the most water-scarce years that Marathwada has faced, Ramesh said.

More than 600 villages and 178 hamlets in Marathwada were dependent on water tankers amidst an acute drinking water shortage, he said.

"Only 19% drinking water was left in reservoirs. What has the BJP done to tackle water scarcity in Marathwada? Will the non-biological PM ever take responsibility for his and his party's failures?" the Congress leader said.

He also asked why the Indian Railways performed so poorly in the Nanded division.

Railway infrastructure in Nanded division, which serves many areas in Marathwada, has been subjected to blatant neglect by the Modi government, he claimed.

"According to data furnished by the South Central Railway (SCR) in 2021, Nanded has only 35km of route electrification and only 83km of track doubling. This puts it at the bottom in terms of electrification and only marginally ahead of the bottom in track doubling compared to other SCR divisions," Ramesh said.

Additionally, it is the only division in its zone that still has 130km of colonial-era meter-gauge tracks, he said.

"Every election season, Mr. Modi is happy to come to Marathwada and ask for votes but the area never sees the progress and development that he speaks of. Why has crucial railway infrastructure been neglected in Nanded? Does the non-biological PM have any real vision for bringing development to the Marathwada region?" Ramesh said.

His remarks come amid campaigning for the Maharashtra elections 2024.

The counting of votes will take place on November 23.