INDIA alliance to hold rally at Mumbai’s BKC to counter Modi’s Shivaji Park rally

Mumbai: The city is all set to witness a massive show of strength of the ruling and opposition alliances on May 17, with simultaneous rallies at Shivaji Park and the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ahead of polling day, May 20.

Not wanting to be engulfed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling alliance’s election campaign blitzkrieg in Mumbai, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has decided to hold a rally featuring some of its bigwigs at BKC, the same day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a gathering at Shivaji Park.

The INDIA bloc’s rally will feature Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar, and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, among other leaders. The Opposition alliance leaders will also address a joint press conference in Mumbai on May 18, said Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala.

The decision to hold the rally at BKC was taken after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation rejected Shiv Sena (UBT)’s application to organise it at Shivaji Park on May 17. The civic body instead gave the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) the permission to hold a rally at the public park on that date, despite the Raj Thackeray-headed outfit not fielding a single candidate for the 2024 elections. The MNS has decided to support and campaign for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

PM Modi will address this rally, with the Mahayuti alliance hoping to profit from Raj Thackeray’s connection with Shivaji Park, which has a strong association with his uncle and Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray.

‘Congress will welcome Sharad Pawar’

Meanwhile, Chennithala said that the Congress would welcome Sharad Pawar and his NCP faction if the veteran leader decides to merge it with the grand old party. This was after Pawar recently said during an interview with The Indian Express that several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress in the next couple of years, and some of them might even merge with it.

“Sharad Pawar is a veteran leader of the country and once belonged to the Congress party. He believes in the ideology of Gandhiji and [Jawaharlal] Nehru. There would be no issue with like-minded people coming together. If Sharad Pawad takes any decision after the elections, Congress will welcome him,” said Chennithala.

The Maharashtra Congress in-charge also slammed Modi for his recent communally charged remarks, in which the prime minister referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”. Modi had suggested that the Congress would distribute the nation’s wealth to Muslims if it came to power.

“The person in the post of PM should not use such language,” said Chennithala. “But as PM Modi has nothing to speak on what he has done in the last 10 years, he is giving speeches on Hindu-Muslim, India-Pakistan, etc.”

Chennithala also raised question that who will be the Prime Minister once Modi completes his 75th birthday. “PM Modi made a rule in BJP that leaders will have to retire once they reach the age of 75. Modi forced veteran leaders like Lal Krishna Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi to retire from active politics in BJP. Now, PM Modi will enter his 75th year this September. So, will he retire from active politics and will Amit Shah be the new PM? PM Modi and BJP will have to answer this,” said Chennithala.

He also slammed PM Modi for using communal language that threatens to create hatred between Hindus and Muslims. “The person on the post of PM should not use such language. But as PM Modi has nothing to speak on what he did in last 10 years, he is giving speeches on Hindu-Muslim, India-Pakistan etc “ said Chennithala.