Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 10 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday released the BJP manifesto 'Sankalp Patra' for the upcoming November 20 Assembly polls and rebuked the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance for promising policies and schemes of "appeasement" that were "insult to ideologies."
"We are contesting against Maha Vikas Aghadi, I can see for sure that Aghadi's policies are formed in the greed of power, it is appeasement and an insult to ideologies," he said after the launch of the party's 'Sankalp Patra'.
In contrast, Shah said that the BJP's resolutions are "etched in stone," adding, "BJP's resolutions are etched in stone. Whether it is the Centre or the state, when our government is formed, we fulfil our resolutions."
Criticising the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) alliance government in the Centre, he said Maharashtra had faced injustice in the previous governments.
"During the 10-year tenure of UPA, only Rs 1.91 lakh crore were given to Maharashtra, whereas Modi ji gave Rs 10 lakh crores during 2014-24. Maharashtra faced injustice in the hands of the UPA when they ruled in the State and the Centre. However, we gave five times the funds to Maharashtra when it had a double-engine government," said Amit Shah.
Similarly, raising the issue of investment in the State, the Union Minister said that during Aghadi's tenure, the state slipped in foreign investment, whereas during Mahayuti's tenure, the state got the highest FDI that any other state.
"A lie is being spread that Maharashtra isn't getting investment. When the Aghadi govt was in power for a short time, Maharashtra slipped to fourth place in investment. However, when we formed govt, in two years, Maharashtra attracted the highest FDI in the country," Shah said.
Shah also raised the issue of Ulema board allegedly extending support to the MVA, and Congress' Maharashtra president accepting it.
"An organization of Ulemas demanded reservations for minorities, and the Congress President, Nana Patola, acknowledged this. Are the people of Maharashtra in favour of giving the right of reservation for the SCs, STs and OBCs to the Muslims? Our constitution does not provide reservations based on religion. However, Congress promised reservations before coming to power," he said.
Earlier, Maharashtra Congress denied the allegations by BJP, and said no such letter was sent and Patole's signatures are fake. In a post on X, Maharashtra Congress said that Mahayuti alliance was resorting to lies in desperation seeing that it was losing the Maharashtra assembly polls.
"With defeat in sight, the corrupt alliance Mahayuti has started trying to mislead people by creating fake photos of things that never happened, and letters that were never sent.
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patoleji's signature was also forged on this letter. But no matter how many lies you tell, truth will always come out," said the post written in Marathi.
Meanwhile, the BJP in its manifesto has promised 25 lakh jobs for youth in the next five years. Shah also vowed to hike Ladki Bahin Yojna allowance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 along with providing loan waiver for farmers.
The manifesto promises to make Maharashtra drought free over the next five years. Water from the 167 TMC flowing in the western rivers will be redirected to the drought-prone areas of Marathwada and North Maharashtra via the Godavari basin.
Among other promises the manifesto promises the creation of one crore jobs planned over the next five years. It also says that efforts will be made to honour Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule, and Veer Savarkar with the Bharat Ratna award.
"Through this manifesto, PM Modi's visions are being brought in Maharashtra...Union Home Minister Amit Shah has unveiled the manifesto with his own hands," Maharahtra Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said at the manifesto launch today.
Elections for the 288 seats in Maharashtra Assembly is a battle between the two major alliances, the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The polls are scheduled for November 20 and counting will be held on November 23. The Mahayuti alliance, includes Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
The opposition MVA, comprises Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SCP).
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena held 56, and Congress 44. In the 2014 polls, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.