Lok Sabha elections 2024: ‘Nobody knows need for stable govt like this state’

Openly calling the Congress party the mother of all problems in the country Prime Minister Narendra Modi the star campaigner of Bhartiya Janata Party BJP officially sounded the war cry in the Vidarbha region on Monday Listing scores of issues that the country has been grappling with Modi rhetorically asked the crowd who was responsible for them Taking the cue it replied ldquoCongressrdquoThe Chandrapur public meeting marks the kickoff to Modirsquos 10 election rallies in the state Notably Chandrapur was the only BJP bastion in the Vidarbha region that was breached by the Congressrsquos Suresh lsquoBalursquo Dhanorkar in 2019 The MP passed away in 2023 The BJP has fielded Sudhir Mungantiwar against Dhanorkarrsquos widow Pratibha who is the sitting MLA from Warora The Chandrapur or Chanda as it is popularly referred to seat is expected to witness a tough battleChimur resident Mangala Bai right Tanvi Aapulwar 17 who travelled to Morwa from her village with her grandmotherAddressing the crowd at the public meeting at the Morwa airport plot at Chandrapur Modi said ldquoAs the mercury level has soared so has the political climate Yet your enthusiasm remains unwavering This time Chandrapur has decided to echo the slogan lsquoAbki baar 400 parrsquordquoGreetings in MarathiModi said ldquoGudi Padwa marks the beginning of a new season a new year starting tomorrow we should all make a resolution and start a new era for this countryrdquo The PM started his address in Marathi to which the crowd cheered loudlyModi launched the campaign for Mungantiwar delivering a strong critique of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA and Uddhav Thackeray He urged the public to defy the scorching weather and turn out in large numbers to vote ldquoAchieving lsquo400 parrsquo will set a record but before that you must create a new record by turning out in large numbers on polling morningrdquo Modi emphasisedldquoThe 2024 Lok Sabha election embodies a battle between stability and instability On one side the BJP which is part of NDA is making crucial decisions for the countryrsquos progress On the other the Congress and its INDIA are pursuing power and privileges Who understands the necessity of a stable government better than Maharashtra Modi asked alleging neglect during the previous MVA governmentPotshots at OppositionHe sharply criticised the Congress and the previous MVA government in Maharashtra stating ldquoIt is the primary duty of a political party to address the countrys issues However the Congress party itself is the source of numerous problems Their approach to any development work has been to demand commissions or create obstacles They halted and opposed important projects during their reigns such as the greenfield airport in Chandrapur and the Mumbai Metro They obstructed initiatives like the Jalyukt Shivar project and discontinued the Baliraja Jal Sanjeevani Yojana for irrigation in Vidarbha and Marathwada They opposed the Samruddhi Mahamarg project and even withheld houses from the underprivileged despite receiving funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas YojanardquoBJP supporters at the rallyldquoIn contrastrdquo Modi continued ldquoOur government has revived and reinstated all these projects By voting for our candidates in Chandrapur Gadchiroli and across the nation yoursquoll be supporting me I wasnrsquot born into a royal family I emerged from a humble background working tirelessly for the people of this nation But as the Marathi saying goes lsquoKadu karla tupaat talala sakhret gholala tari te kaduchrsquomdasheven if you fry bitter gourd in ghee and dip it in sugar it will remain bitterrdquoEmphasis on upliftmentHighlighting the governments commitment to empowering marginalised communities PM Modi reflected on the various welfare measures enacted to uplift Dalits tribals and backward classes nationwide He attributed the successful implementation of these initiatives to the support of the people underscoring the transformative influence of their votesHe continued ldquoThe Congress manifesto echoes the rhetoric and is written in the language of the Muslim League with their MPs discussing the potential for another partition of India Members of INDIA are even threatening to bring about the secession of South India The DMK speaks of eradicating Sanatan traditions likening them to dengue and malariardquo Apart from Ashok Nete the BJP candidate from Gadchiroli and Mungantiwar CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also spoke at the meetinglsquoFrom Chanda to BandarsquoMungantiwar said ldquoThe Congress has been claiming that they will get my election security deposit forfeited My election security is the hardearned money contributed by the masses and not earned by selling liquor Please cast your vote for the desh country and not deshi country liquor I want to remind you that voting for Congress is alike voting for mafia raj voting for Congress is alike hitting your foot with a hammerrdquoSudhir MungantiwarHe added ldquoIf there was an Olympic medal for lying it should awarded to Rahul Gandhi with a diamond added to itrdquoAddressing the crowd Fadnavis said ldquoI am very happy and Thankful that PM Modi started the election campaign from Chandrapur We can say that Mahayuti will reign from Chanda to Banda This will prove to be the end of CongressrdquoCongressSpeakNana Patole Congress state president reacted to the Muslim League jibe saying ldquoThe Muslim League is Modirsquos ideological forefathersrsquo old love and they had also forged a political alliance for powerrdquo He added ldquoWhen the entire country took to the streets in support of the Quit India Movement of 1942 Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was running the government in Bengal Sindh and the North West Frontier Province with the help of the Muslim League and was trying to suppress the movementrdquoHe added ldquoWhat right does Modi have to speak about corruption Who allies with people accused of corruption and gives them respectable posts Why doesnrsquot Modi speak about how electoral bonds worth crores were amassed by blackmailing corporate companies and in exchange of giving huge contracts to companiesrdquoCrowd reactionsTanvi Aapulwar 17 travelled to Morwa from her village with her grandmother She expressed gratitude for getting a chance to see him Asked what she would have asked him given the opportunity Tanvi highlighted the issue of girls dropping out of education due to high fees urging PM Modi to make education more affordable even in private institutesAvinash Dhawan a cotton farmer from Korpana village near Chandrapur expressed hope for assistance from the PM and Vidarbha candidates to secure better prices for cotton Comparing PM Modi to Sant Ghadge Maharaj Bhayyaji Mirge a retired employee of the ordinance factory in Chandrapur emphasised Modirsquos efforts in cleaning the country much like the revered figureMangala Bai from Chimur shared her surprise at the large crowd and recounted the discussion about LPG gas schemes at the meeting While some might have benefited she expressed disappointment at not receiving benefits yet