Congress President Kharge urged people to defeat Mahayuti leaders who allegedly accepted bribes to change their allegiance to bring down the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government, as he addressed an election rally on Monday in Vasai near Mumbai.

He referred to the Mahayuti government as a “50 khoke (cash boxes in Marathi), everything’s okay” government. The term “50 khoke” became popular after Eknath Shinde defected from the undivided Shiv Sena to form the BJP-backed Mahayuti government in 2022.

Kharge attacked the PM’s alleged proximity to industrialist Gautam Adani at an election rally near Mumbai on Monday.”The Mahayuti government is giving away Dharavi land worth Rs 1 lakh crore rupees which belongs to the poor, small traders and small industries to one individual. They are also selling all government land and government factories and pushing them into losses. They are giving away ports and airports. Instead of reviving old factories, they are selling them at cheap prices,” Kharge alleged.

“Modi never waived off the loans of farmers but he has waived off the loans of his friends. He has waived off the loans taken by rich people from the banks. If the poor farmer takes a loan and fails to pay it back, they auction his farm. But when it comes to the rich, Modi waives off Rs 16 lakh crore. He ought to feel ashamed about this,” he said.

The Congress chief said that the PM used to say ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ (Development For All) but he has done only “satyanaash” for all. “Modi had promised 2 crore jobs every year. He had promised to bring back black money from abroad and deposit Rs 15 lakh in everybody’s account. He had promised that he would double the income of farmers, but he did not even give the minimum support price (MSP). He used to say that he will give free gas cylinders to women, but where are the free gas cylinders? He visits America and has time to visit all the countries, but he has not been to Manipur which has been burning for one and a half years,” he said.

He reminded people how Modi had promised bullet trains. “He had said that in three years he would make bullet trains run across the country. Now it has been 11 years and there is no sign of anmy bullet train. Modi inaugurated a Shivaji statue and the next day it collapsed. He said that he would construct the Ram temple at Ayodhya, but rain water seeped into the temple. This has been his track record,” Kharge said.

He criticised the BJP-led Mahayuti for indulging in divisive politics through contentious slogans like “Batenge Toh Katenge” (If we are divided, we will get slaughtered) and “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hai” (If we remain united, we will be safe.) “It is none other than Modi and the BJP who are dividing the people for political gains,” he said.

Kharge invoked Maharashtra’s legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Jyotirao Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, and stated that the Mahayuti is attempting to fragment society along caste and religious lines. “The Congress as well as the MVA stand for unity and the principles of Dr Ambedkar’s Constitution, while the BJP seeks to create divisions,” he said.

Kharge denounced the government’s economic policies, claiming that the BJP-led coalition has severely impacted the lives of farmers, workers, women, and youth. “Under the Mahayuti government, inflation and unemployment are at an all-time high, and farmers are struggling to get fair prices for their produce,” he said, adding that Maharashtra faced significant financial wrongdoing in the last two-and-a-half years.

Kharge stated that the Congress-backed MVA would deliver on its promises through its “5 Guarantees” mentioned in its “Maharashtra Nama” election manifesto.