Maharashtra Elections 2024: Priyanka Gandhi Slams BJP For Disrespecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Vows Support For MVA In Shirdi; VIDEO

Mumbai: Scotching all speculations among allies, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday declared that despite the party's ideological differences with the (undivided) Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, the Congress has always held him in the highest esteem.

“Even though the ideologies of the Shiv Sena and Congress are different, our political views were at variance, but we have always had the utmost regards for Balasaheb Thackeray,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Addressing a public rally in Shirdi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, "I challenge PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to stand on the stage and declare that they will get the caste census done and remove the 50% cap on the reservation. They say that my… pic.twitter.com/gK7t2QRCtU

— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2024

Expressing outrage over what she described as the BJP's disrespect towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, she said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the deity of this nation. While Prime Minister Modi and his associates take the name of Shivaji Maharaj, they do not respect him. Seven years ago, Modi performed the water ritual for the Shivaji statue, but the monument is yet to be completed. The statue of Shivaji Maharaj at Parliament was removed by the Modi government, and the statue in Malvan, inaugurated by Modi himself, collapsed within eight months. The BJP continues to disrespect Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and this insult will never be tolerated.”

She further accused the PM of removing a statue of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from the Parliament premises, while a figurine of the great Maratha warrior unveiled by PM Modi crashed in just eight months in Sindhudurg district (August 26).

Training guns on the BJP leaders for accusations that Rahul Gandhi is anti-reservation, the AICC General Secretary said that her brother is waging a big fight to save the Constitution given to the country by Dr. BR Ambedkar, and trying to preserve Democracy.

She accused the PM and Home Minister Amit Shah of spreading lies about her brother Rahul Gandhi that he is against reservation.

She claimed that these leaders are afraid of Rahul Gandhi because he is advocating for a caste census to be conducted in the country. She demanded that Modi and Amit Shah publicly declare whether they will support a caste-based census and lift the 50% cap on caste-based quotas.

Priyanka Gandhi further criticised PM Modi for his claims of strengthening Maharashtra, pointing out that while Jawaharlal Nehru established institutions like dams, IITs and IIMs across the country without discrimination, the Modi government has repeatedly discriminated against Maharashtra. She accused the BJP of taking away key projects from Maharashtra.

Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat in his address, urged the people of Shirdi to support MVA candidate Prabhavati Ghogre, pitted against Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, to defeat the 'goondaism' allegedly perpetrated by the Vikhe Patil family in the region.