NAGPUR: Ahead of ensuing Maharashtra assembly polls, prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday again targeted Congress from Vidarbha by taking sharp jabs at the party, accusing it of sidelining marginalized communities, including the Banjaras.
Offering prayers at Pohradevi shrine, which holds supreme religious significance for the Banjara community in Washim-Yavatmal, who have a sizable vote-bank in the area, he also played the traditional drum of the tribals.
Lauding the Banjara community’s contributions, PM Modi urged people to visit the Nangara museum, emphasizing its significance during the independence struggle. He remarked that the British had once declared them outcastes, a pattern he claimed was mirrored by the Congress, which neglected Dalits and tribals over the years.
Modi credited the NDA government for recognizing and uplifting these communities through initiatives like creation of a welfare board, with Rs 700 crore being spent on development. Modi stressed BJP’s policies are aimed to advance marginalized communities, contrasting this with what he described as Congress’ dangerous agenda supported by urban Naxals.
Accusing the Congress of being involved in the drug trade, he said the Congress leader’s role was exposed after the big drug bust in Delhi. Modi also criticized the grand old party for failing to support farmers, highlighting how the MVA government in Maharashtra halted key farmer welfare schemes, including the Vidarbha region’s irrigation projects.
“Congress doesn’t respect farmers or their needs,” Modi said, citing Karnataka’s halting of farmers welfare scheme and alleged the party’s loan waiver promise is ringing hollow. He reaffirmed NDA’s commitment to doubling farmers’ income and tackling corruption that has hampered development.
PM Modi concluded by announcing development projects, such as the ₹89,000 crore Wanainga-Nalganga project and a PM Mitra Textile Park in Amravati, aimed at fostering growth in Maharashtra and across India.
