Mumbai: Hitting back at the Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, who alleged that the BJP calls OBCs “dogs” and the party should be defeated like a dog, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said nobody in the history has given respect to OBCs like Narendra Modi. He alleged that Rajiv Gandhi had opposed giving constitutional status to OBCs and the Congress only used them as vote banks.
While campaigning in Akola for the party candidate Sajit Khan Pathan on Monday night, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, “I want to ask the people belonging to the OBC community, whether you vote for the BJP who calls you ‘kutta’(dog)?.... Now, the time has come to make the BJP ‘kutta’ (dog)."
Mr. Patole also said that the BJP leaders think themselves as God due to “power of arrogance”.
The Congress’s remarks had invited sharp criticism from the BJP leaders stating statements reflected the Congress’s growing frustration.
BJP MLC Pravin Darekar said that Patole has ruined the Congress’s tradition. If Mr. Patole continues to bark at the BJP, the more people will support the BJP, he said.
Mr. Saini,who was in Mumbai, said that Congress, which has always exploited the OBC community, used the OBC only as a vote bank. It never gave rights to the OBC community, rather gave the rights of the OBC to other classes. “Since the Modi government came to the Centre, the OBC community in the country has been empowered.
The Haryana CM slammed the Congress-led MahaVikas Agadhi alliance for pursuing ‘divisive’, caste-based and dynastic politics. “The Congress promotes caste-based and dynastic politics posing a threat to society and state. Maharashtra voters have made up their mind to move ahead with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and re-elect the double-engine government with a huge mandate,” Saini
The Haryana Chief Minister further said that there are cultural similarities between Haryana and Maharashtra.
Taking a dig at NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Mr. Saini also said that the veteran leader has been part of the INDIA bloc, which claimed that the Congress would win the Haryana election. “But the people gave a mandate to the BJP. Similarly, the people of Maharashtra will teach a lesson to MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi),” he said.
Few days ago, Mr. Pawar had said that the result of the Haryana election will not have any impact on Maharashtra.
Appealing to the people of Maharashtra to teach a bitter lesson to the Congress and MVA, Mr. Saini said that there is a need for a “double engine government” in order to maintain the pace of development in Maharashtra. “The people rejected the Congress in Haryana only because of the development works done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the last ten years and the state government,” he said.
