Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that BJP and its alliance partners will win Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls and Congress has been reduced from being a major national party to becoming a junior partner in various states.

He alleged that Congress is losing strength because of its “ill-conceived and badly thought-through policies” and that its leaders are “getting frustrated”.

“I think after the collapse of the Jalebi factory in Haryana, now we see the writing on the wall in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, hence these outlandish claims about PDA or whatever he was talking about… Congress has been reduced from being a major national party to becoming a junior partner in all the states. I think that is because of their ill-conceived and badly thought-through policies. We’ll win handsomely in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. That is why they’re getting more frustrated,” Puri, who is Minister for Oil and Natural Gas, told ANI.

He also targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and said the party gets into trouble over its “outlandish promises”.

“He’s showing deep-seated frustration, and that frustration is also understandable. Why is it understandable? When Priyanka went to file her nomination, he was not even allowed to sit inside the room. Then when he goes to Karnataka, he sees the mess there, then with the camera on, he’s telling the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister that if you make promises and you say that you’re reviewing a scheme, which means you’re not going to be able to implement the promises, you lack credibility and you will get into trouble. That’s a reality,” he said.

“The fundamental difference between the BJP and the Congress is, I’ll not bring AAP here, they are not worth mentioning, when the BJP makes a statement and says we will deliver on an election promise, it has invariably delivered. The opposition, on the other hand, without making a detailed analysis of what the resources available are, without deciding whether they will have the money to implement a scheme, they go and make an outlandish promise, as a result of which they get into trouble,” he added.

PM Modi Modi targeted Congress on Friday and said it makes “unreal promises”.

“The Congress Party is realizing the hard way that making unreal promises is easy, but implementing them properly is tough or impossible. Campaign after campaign, they promise things to the people, which they also know they will never be able to deliver.”
PM Modi cited issues in Congress-ruled states, mentioning that the “developmental trajectory and fiscal health is turning from bad to worse” in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.

He alleged that Congress’s unfulfilled promises were misleading the poor, youth, farmers, and women and that existing welfare schemes were being neglected.

He also urged people to be vigilant against what he termed the “Congress-sponsored culture of fake promises” and cited Haryana’s recent election results as evidence of people rejecting Congress.

Responding to this, Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that lies, deceit, fraud, loot and publicity are the five adjectives that best define the BJP government at the centre.

“Lies, Deceit, Fakery, Loot & Publicity are the 5 adjectives which best describe your Govt! Your drumbeating regarding a 100-day plan was a cheap PR stunt! On May 16, 2024, you also claimed that you took inputs from more than 20 lakh people for the road map for 2047. RTI filed in PMO declined to put forth details, exposing your LIES!” Kharge posted on X.

Maharashtra elections will be held in a single phase on November 20 while the elections in the Jharkhand Assembly will be conducted in two phases on November 13 and November 20,

The counting of votes in both the states will take place on November 23.