Maharashtra polls: Amit Shah releases BJP manifesto, flings charges at opposition

MUMBAI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday released the BJP election manifesto, which promises farm loan waivers, an increase in the Ladki Bahin amount to ₹2,100 from the present ₹1,500 per month, a monthly stipend of ₹10,000 to 10 lakh youths and an ‘Akshay Anna Yojana’ to provide nine free ration items to low-income groups.

The home minister exuded confidence that the Mahayuti would return to power in Maharashtra with a full majority and added that there was no question of seeking the help of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to form the government. On the question of who would be the chief minister of the Mahayuti, he said, “After the poll, our three parties will sit together and decide the next CM.”

While attacking the opposition, Shah accused the Congress of Muslim appeasement and of being anti-Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes. “Recently I saw reports and documents which said that a delegation of Muslim clerics had submitted a letter listing several demands of the community,” he said. “One of the demands was to approve reservation for Muslims. State Congress leader Nana Patole has agreed to these demands. There is no provision for reservation based on religion in the Constitution. The Congress intends to cut the reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to Muslims. Is this acceptable to the people of Maharashtra?”

Shah also launched an attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. “Thackeray is sitting with the people who insult Veer Savarkar, opposed the cancellation of Article 370, the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and the amendment in the Waqf Board law,” he said.

In response to a question, the home minister said that once the Mahayuti was re-elected to power, the government would form a committee to discuss and bring in a stringent law to curb religious conversions. He also said that the Mahayuti’s three alliance partners—the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP—had all released their manifestos, and a committee of ministers would be constituted after the elections to ensure the implementation of the promises made.

Shah insisted that the NCP and the Shiv Sena had split due to the internal fight for succession. “If Sharad Pawar had selected Ajit Pawar as his successor instead of Supriya Sule, the NCP would not have split. Similarly, if Uddhav Thackeray had not selected Aditya Thackeray over Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena would not have split,” he claimed.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and national general secretary Vinod Tawade were present at the function. Fadnavis announced that the government would within 100 days of its formation present a ‘Vision Maharashtra @2029’.

Reacting to Shah’s allegations, Sule pointed out that it was not she but Ajit Pawar who had held all the positions of power in the undivided NCP, including the post of deputy CM. “I was only an MP,” she said.