Mumbai: In a bid to show their unity ahead of Maharashtra Assembly election, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders on Tuesday came together for ‘Sadbhavana Diwas’, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Sounding the Assembly poll bugle in Maharashtra, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that BJP is a poison, which must be thrown out of power.
Hailing the contribution of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s family, NCP founder Sharad Pawar said that nobody can erase their contribution for the country. Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray also said that the Congress has never acted vengefully against its political opponent like the BJP.
Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray also donned the Congress Gamcha (stole) along with senior Congress leaders at the event held at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai and paid tributes to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
As the MVA gears up for the assembly election in Maharashtra, all three top leaders of MVA urged the Congress workers to remain united during the Assembly election and throw the Mahayuti out of power in Maharashtra.
Addressing the Congress workers for the first time, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said that he was not active in politics when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country. “I used to express my disagreements (in those days) and even now. However, I have never spoken vindictively. I am siding with Sadbhavana, while the other side (BJP) is vindictive. Although we were opponents, Congress never vindictively acted against us. We also never behaved vindictively against the Congress. This is called true statesmanship,” the 64-year-old leader said.
Mr. Thackeray also said that Rajiv Gandhi was a cultured and civilized leader of the Country, who even offered his support to his opponents like Atal Bihari Vajpayee for treatment in America. He also said that the central agencies like ED, CBI never came to the house of Shiv Sena leaders during Congress regime.
Mr. Kharge said that the Congress party won 415 seats under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi, but the late Congress leader did not have arrogance. “Narendra Modi wants to work like a dictator. It is not the interest of the country,” he said.
Calling Narendra Modi’s work as “Chiller Kam” (petty work), Mr. Kharge said Rajiv Gandhi had carried out various vaccinations in the country but he had never put his photo for the vaccination certificates.
Without taking the name of the BJP, Sharad Pawar said that the saffron party did not know the contribution of the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Rajiv Gandhi has played a big role in building the country, he has given a new direction to the country. Those who are in power today do not know what Nehru-Gandhi was,” he said.
