Rahul, Please Praise Uddhav Thackeray's Father & Also Savarkar: Amit Shah At Hingoli

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched an attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asking him to praise Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Hindu nationalist and freedom fighter Veer Savarakar.

Speaking at a rally in Hingoli, Shah asked Uddhav Thackeray whether he has courage to make Rahul speak positively about these figures, calling the opposition alliance "an army of liars."

"Aghadi is an army of liars. Rahul Baba, please praise your friend Uddhav Thackeray's father, the great Balasaheb Thackeray, for two minutes. Uddhav ji, if you have the courage, get Rahul Baba to speak two good words about Veer Savarkar and Balasaheb," ANI quoted the Union Home Minister as saying.

Shah emphasised that the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections would determine whether the state follows the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or Aurangzeb. He stated that their Mahayuti alliance has embraced Shivaji Maharaj's legacy, while accusing the Aghadi alliance of being akin to an Aurangzeb fan club.

The Union Minister also took a jab at Rahul Gandhi, likening him to a plane that has crashed multiple times. "Sonia ji has tried to land the plane named Rahul Baba 20 times, and 20 times it has crashed," he quipped, predicting another failure in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Reflecting on the recent Haryana elections where BJP secured a third term, Shah criticised Congress for its overconfidence in winning Maharashtra. He noted that despite Rahul Gandhi's premature victory claims in Haryana, Congress was defeated, and BJP formed the government. Shah expressed confidence that Mahayuti would form the government in Maharashtra too.

Addressing issues like the Ram temple and Waqf Board controversy, Shah accused Congress of obstructing Ram temple construction for 70 years. He praised Modi for making it a reality and criticised Sharad Pawar's allies for opposing amendments to the Waqf Act.

Shah dismissed Congress's resolution to reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting it would never happen. "Rahul Baba's Congress party has passed a resolution in Kashmir to bring back Article 370," he said, adding that neither Gandhi nor his descendants could achieve this.

Expressing confidence in NDA's support in Maharashtra, Shah declared that people across India stand with Modi. He claimed every sister in Maharashtra supports Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, along with every underprivileged citizen backing NDA.

Maharashtra is set to vote on November 20 with results announced on November 23.