Pune, Maharashtra (November 12, 2024): Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Pune on Tuesday as part of his campaign for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, continuing his sharp criticism of the Congress party. Modi accused Congress of "looting people" in Karnataka, alleging the party was using the proceeds from scams to fund its election campaign in Maharashtra.
"In Karnataka, Congress lied to the people and formed a government but failed to deliver on their promises. Instead, they are running an extortion campaign, and scams are being uncovered every day. This means that Congress is looting people in broad daylight. Allegedly, they are using the money from these scams to fund their election campaign in Maharashtra. If we want to save Maharashtra, we need to keep Congress at bay," Modi said.
"The pace of development work in Maharashtra is unprecedented, but you have to remember, those who were running the government in Maharashtra before Mahayuti did not have a single work to tell you. The two and a half years of the Aghadi were spent in stopping our projects. This is the culture of the Congress and its allies," he added.
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Modi further emphasized his government’s achievement of giving Marathi language the status of an elite language. "People of Maharashtra were demanding for decades to give Marathi the status of an elite language... Congress governments and Aghadi leaders always ignored it. Our government has fulfilled its responsibility by giving Marathi the status of an elite language," PM said.
He also highlighted the importance of infrastructure, investment, and industry in empowering Pune’s people. "To empower the people of Pune, infrastructure, investment and industry - all three are required. We have worked on every aspect of it. In the last 10 years, the FDI has increased exponentially. Maharashtra is at the top of the list of investment companies that have been visiting India for investment in the last 2.5 years. Pune and this region will get a huge share of this investment. The number of companies increased when the investment was made in the electronics and IT sectors," Modi said.
"The Mahayuti government is also working very seriously on the connectivity of Pune. Your aspirations are your command to me. Your dreams are the inspiration for me to work day and night. Your needs are the basis of my government's plans. It is my priority that your life should be easy, it is the priority of the Mahayuti," he added.
Reaffirming the strong bond between Pune and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Modi said, "The relationship between Pune and BJP is of ideology, culture and faith. Pune has always supported the ideology and vision of the BJP. I am deeply grateful to the people of Pune for this trust. I have come to assure you that the new Mahayuti government will work faster for the development of Pune and Maharashtra. The coming five years will be the years of new flights of development for Pune."
He also addressed rallies in Chimur and Solapur on the same day, as part of his campaign ahead of Maharashtra’s assembly elections. Polling will take place on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.
(With inputs from ANI)