In the lead-up to the 2024 Maharashtra elections, BJP and Congress leaders exchanged sharp accusations, with the BJP accusing Congress of appeasement politics and Congress slamming BJP for dividing society.
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On Sunday, as the election manifestos of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were released in Mumbai, political rhetoric took centre stage with leaders from both sides taking sharp digs at each other. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing a rally at the MVA’s manifesto release event, fiercely criticised the BJP, accusing them of dividing society. Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll pitch, ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’, Kharge countered that it was the BJP, not the Congress, that had already fragmented communities through policies such as ‘Manusmriti’. He further questioned the BJP's commitment to social justice, highlighting that the party had not appointed significant numbers of people from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities to key ministries.
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Kharge also took a jab at the BJP’s ‘appeasement’ politics, accusing the party of dividing the nation through its stances on various issues, including the controversial caste census. His remarks came as part of a broader critique of the BJP’s divisive agenda and the ruling party’s failure to honour promises made to the public in states such as Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.
On the other hand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at the BJP’s manifesto launch, targeted Congress for what he described as its divisive and appeasing approach. Shah accused the Congress of adopting policies that catered to specific religious groups and weakened the unity of the nation. He singled out Congress for opposing key BJP policies, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which he claimed were central to the BJP’s vision for a unified India.
Shah further emphasised that the BJP was committed to strong leadership and governance. He boldly claimed that the BJP would win the Maharashtra elections with a resounding majority, dismissing the opposition’s chances of success. The debate over social and political unity continues to dominate the discourse ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra elections, with both sides offering contrasting visions for the state's future.