PM Narendra Modi kicked off the BJP election campaign in Maharashtra with an all-out attack on the Congress-backed opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Speaking at an election rally in Dhule, he said, “The MVA is a vehicle without wheels or brakes, and there is a fight going on to occupy the driver’s seat”.

The Prime Minister said, “We entered politics to serve the public. For some people, the foundation of politics is looting the people. The intention of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is to loot the people.”

“You have seen 2.5 years of a government formed fraudulently by the Maha Vikas Aghadi. These people first looted the government and then began looting the people of Maharashtra. They stalled metro projects, created hurdles in the work of Wadhawan Port, and obstructed the construction of Samruddhi Mahamarg. The MVA stopped every scheme that could have brightened the future of the people of Maharashtra,” he said.

PM Modi said that MVA leaders have issued statements abusing women. “Every woman in Maharashtra needs to be cautious of the MVA. For a developed Maharashtra and a developed India, it is very important to make the lives of our sisters and daughters easier and empower them. When women move forward, the entire society progresses rapidly. That’s why, in the last 10 years, the central government has made major decisions with women at the centre,” he added.

The PM targeted the Congress party, accusing it of trying to create divisions among the country’s tribal communities. He emphasised that the Congress’s efforts to sow discord between the SC, ST, and OBC communities are as dangerous as its past attempts to divide religious groups, which led to the partition of India. Modi stressed the importance of unity, stating that the nation would remain strong as long as people remain united.

PM Modi praised the development work carried out by the BJP-backed and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti alliance, claiming it would continue its good work if re-elected. He assured the people of Maharashtra that the state’s growth would reach new heights under a Mahayuti government.

He underlined the importance of women’s empowerment in achieving a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India). He said that social progress is closely tied to the advancement of women and pledged to remove all barriers to their empowerment. Referring to the opposition’s criticism of the ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, a scheme to benefit women, he accused the MVA of trying to sabotage the initiative, claiming they did not want to see women empowered.