Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi at election rallies held in Chandrapur, Umerkheda and Hingoli, in Maharashtra on Friday.

Speaking at Chandrapur, he said, “Do you want a government following the path of Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra or a government run by the Aurangzeb fan club? Under the leadership of Modi, the BJP government has constructed the Ram temple, removed Article 370, stopped triple talaq, implemented CAA and now we plan to change the Waqf Board law too”.

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He said that the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s party opposed all these steps. “It was the BJP government which renamed Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar, but they opposed all these steps. Gadchiroli in Chandrapur has been suffering from Naxalism for all these years. Narendra Modi plans to end Naxalism. We will end it before March 31, 2026”.

Earlier, speaking at an election rally in Umarkhed, he asked voters to vote for BJP-backed Mahayuti candidates. “You have to press the button of the BJP’s lotus symbol. Like the Mahabharata, there are two sides–one side is in favour of the truth while the other side is in favour of falsehood. There is the Mahayuti backed by Narendra Modi, who has brought development while on the other hand, there is the alliance of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, who are sitting in the lap of the Aurangzeb fan club to enjoy power. You have to choose between the two,” Shah said.

He attacked Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. “There is an aircraft named Rahul Baba which keeps on crashing repeatedly. Sonia tried to launch Rahul Baba 20 times. She is trying it again for the 21st time, but I would like to tell Sonia that even at the 21st attempt, your aircraft is going to crash at Nagpur airport,” Shah said.

He stated that Eknath Shinde’s faction is the real Shiv Sena. “On one side, we have Udhhav who says, his Shiv Sena is the real Shiv Sena. I ask him, can the real Shiv Sena oppose the renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar? Can the Shiv Sena oppose the renaming of Osmanabad as Dhara Shiv? Can the real Shiv Sena oppose the renaming of Ahmednagar as Ahalya Nagar? Uddhav, your Sena has ended up merely as an Uddhav Sena. The real Shiv Sena is with the BJP,” he said.

He warned voters that Rahul Gandhi plans to reinstate Article 370. “Rahul Baba and his party plan to bring back Article 370 in Kashmir. I am standing on the land of Umarkhed and telling you, Rahul Baba, that even if your four generations come, Article 370 will not be rolled back. Kashmir is an integral part of India. No power in the world can take away Kashmir from India. This is the resolution of Narendra Modi and the BJP,” Shah said.

Shah reminded voters how terrorists used to carry out bomb blasts in the country during Sonia and Manmohan government’s era. “Sonia and Manmohan did nothing except appease their vote bank. However, after you made Modi the Prime Minister, he boosted the morale of the army. As soon as Uri and Pulwama attacks took place, our armed forces entered Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes and air strikes,” he said.

Shah said that the Congress, Sharad Pawar and all of the other parties kept the issue of Ram Mandir stuck for 70 years. “They kept it hanging, but Modi won the case in one year and constructed the Ram temple,” he said.

Speaking about the Waqf Board law, Shah said, “You must have read a news item recently that in Karnataka, the Waqf Board has converted hundreds of villages there by making these its property, including temples and farmers’ lands. Modi plans to change the Waqf Board law, but Uddhav, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule oppose it. Uddhav, Sharad Pawar and Rahul, you may all protest as much as you want, but Modi has resolved to change the Waqf Board law,” he said.

He alleged that Congress leader Nana Patole recently met Muslim religious leaders and ulemas. “They told Patole that they would swing the votes for the Congress if maulanas are paid Rs 15,000 every month. Do you agree with this,” he asked the people assembled at the rally.

“Should reservations be given to Muslims by ending the reservation of SCs, STs, OBCs, Dalits and tribals? Should Rs 1000 crore be given to repair mosques? Which side are you on Uddhav? You never go to visit the Ram temple but talk about giving Rs 1000 crore to mosques. You must drown yourself in a pool of water,” Shah said.

“Sharad Pawar, Rahul Baba and Uddhav, you may apply as much pressure as you want, but Muslims will never get reservations in Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Maharashtra,” he thundered.

He said that the BJP-backed Mahayuti would reduce electricity bills by 30 per cent and create a trillion-dollar economy in Maharashtra. “Right now Modi gives 5 kg of grains to the poor. Along with this, he will also give you jowar, rice, peanut oil, salt, sugar, turmeric, mustard, cumin and red chilli powder. Modi plans to keep the kitchens of sisters of Maharashtra lit for 365 days,” Shah said.

Speaking at Hingoli, he said that the Congress always insulted Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar throughout his life. “Dr Ambedkar was given the Bharat Ratna posthumously, only after the Congress government was gone,” Shah said.

He said that Sonia and Manmohan government left India as the 11th largest economy. “Yet, in five years, Modi worked to bring it to the fifth position and by 2027, India will become the third largest economy in the world,” Shah said.