NEW DELHI: As Maharashtra assembly elections draw nearer, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a strong attack on the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, calling it an “Aurangzeb fan club” and alleging that its leaders are against the interests of Maharashtra.
During a campaign rally at Maharashtra’s Dhule, Shah said that the MVA alliance — which includes the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP — stands in opposition to key initiatives, including the renaming of Aurangabad, the Ram temple constructionthe abrogation of Article 370, and surgical strikes against Pakistan.
“Mahayuti means ‘Vikas’ (development) and Aghadi means ‘Vinash’ (destruction). You have to decide whether to bring to power those who drive development or those who cause destruction,” Shah said.
Amit Shah further accused Uddhav Thackeray of abandoning the principles of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. “To gain power, Uddhav ji has forgotten all the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray. Uddhav babu, who are you sitting with today? Today, you are with those who objected to the renaming of Aurangabad, the construction of Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370 and also to surgical strike against Pakistan. There are two clear sides in front of people of Maharashtra – Aghadi, which is the Aurangzeb fan cluband the other is Mahayuti which follows the principles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar,” he said.
Criticising the grand old party’s economic record during its UPA rule, Shah claimed that from 2004 to 2014, the UPA allocated only Rs 1.51 lakh crore to Maharashtra, compared to Rs 10.15 lakh crore under the NDA from 2014 to 2024.
He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, saying that India has become the world’s fifth-largest economy under his government and would likely secure the third spot by 2027. “During Manmohan Singh’s time, India was eleventh in global economies, but Modi brought it to the fifth spot. Modi ji has made the country prosperous and safer,” Shah said.
He also accused MVA leaders of making empty promises and argued that the BJP’s pledges are reliable and firm. “Aghadiwale make false promises, but Modi ji’s promises are ‘pathar ki lakeer’ (written in stone),” he said, pointing to the construction of the Ram temple as a promise fulfilled.
Polling for Maharashtra’s 288 assembly seats will be held on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.
