PM Modi in poll-bound Maharashtra: 'Congress is most corrupt party'

Thane, Oct 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called the Congress the country's most corrupt party and asked people of poll-bound Maharashtra to stay miles away from the opposition alliance it leads.

Addressing a massive gathering in Thane, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects worth more than Rs 32,000 crore, the PM said the NDA's only focus was development, while the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi only knows to stall such works.

"We have to make Mumbai and its metropolitan region (MMR) future ready to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat (developed India). For this, we have to work doubly hard. We have to focus on development and rectify the damage done by previous Congress regimes," he said.

Under the present governments at the Centre and in the state, development of MMR was moving at super fast speed, the PM asserted.

"The Congress is the most dishonest and corrupt party in the country. Its character never changes. One CM is involved in a land scam, one minister from that party is abusing women and a Haryana leader is caught with drugs. The party promises huge things to win polls and then loots people after coming to power," Modi said.

Citing the toilet tax imposed in Himachal Pradesh, Modi said the Congress is identified with "loot, jhoot, and kushasan" (corruption, lies and misgovernance).

He said people of Thane and Mumbai were suffering from problems of population and traffic under Congress regimes, and there was a time when Mumbai's development had come to a halt.

"Under our government, 300 kilometres of metro rail network, coastal road, Atal Setu have become reality, which will boost industrial development and generate employment. The Maha Vikas Aghadi only knew to stall work. The Mumbai Metro 3 line work was stopped due to ego and taxpayers' money was wasted as the cost of the project escalated by Rs 14,000 crore," he said.

Modi said the metro line 3, the first phase of which he inaugurated at the event, is happening because of the cooperation of the Japanese government. It is a symbol of India-Japan friendship, he added.

The MVA, which comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), also put hurdles in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and Atal Setu projects and stopped water supply and irrigation schemes in the state, he said.

"The MVA is the enemy of development and people must keep the opposition alliance miles away (from power). In Maharashtra, the Congress is showing its true colours. It is opposing the state government's Ladki Bahin Yojana in which women get monthly aid of Rs 1500 as well as distribution of three free LPG cylinders per year," the PM said.

Women should be alert about the intentions of the Congress, which will stop work done by the Eknath Shinde government and give money to "dalals" (middlemen), the PM said.

The Congress is run by 'urban Naxals' and is standing with forces opposed to India's progress, he said, adding the opposition party's mission was to divide people and obtain power.

The party has destroyed Maharashtra and other states when in power and people must learn from such instances, he asserted.

Without taking the name of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Modi said parties that spoke of nationalism are now busy with appeasement politics.

"They oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill but stay silent on Congress insulting Veer Savarkar. When the Congress says it will bring back Article 370 in Jammu-Kashmir, these parties don't react. If the ghost of the Congress enters somebody's body, its ideology gets destroyed because of power," Modi said.

Only the BJP and the Mahayuti have worked to strengthen infrastructure and development in Maharashtra, the PM said.

Polls are likely to be held in the state next month. The term of the current assembly will end on November 26.

During the event in Thane, Modi laid the foundation stones of the Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project and Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension and launched the BKC to Aarey Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road section of Mumbai Metro Line-3.

He also laid the foundation stone of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) project and a new headquarter complex for the Thane Municipal Corporation. PTI