Giving a call to throw away the “government of thieves” in Maharashtra, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday announced its “five guarantees” for the upcoming Assembly elections.
In a major promise, under the Mahalakshmi scheme, women will receive financial assistance of Rs3,000 per month and free transportation in government buses across Maharashtra. The announcement comes in the wake of the ruling alliance’s promise to increase the ongoing Rs 1,500 per month installment under Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme for women to Rs 2,100 per month.
The other guarantees include waiver of farm loans up to Rs 3 lakh across Maharashtra, an incentive payment of Rs 50,000 to farmers who consistently repay their loans, monthly support of Rs 4,000 to every unemployed youth in the state, affordable health insurance of Rs 25 lakh to all households and free-of-cost essential medicines in government hospitals.
“This is the election of ideologies. I promise that on the lines of our Congress governments in Telangana and Karnataka, our government will undertake caste census and 50 per cent ceiling on reservations will be removed,” said Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Along with Gandhi, Congress president Malliakrjun Kharge, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Sharad Pawar announced the Opposition MVA’s guarantees at a public rally in Mumbai’s BKC ground.
Kharge said that while the MVA offers five guarantees, the most important guarantee he expects is from the audience. “You (the voters) should ensure the victory of the MVA alliance and this is the most important guarantee I want from you… it is time to throw away the present government of thieves,” said Kharge.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking about his guarantees of bringing back black money, two crore jobs, doubling the MSP, and demonetisation, Kharge said, “Has even a single promise been fulfilled? No. That’s why I call him jhooton ka sardar (chieftain of liers).”
Thackeray announced that the contracts issued in the Dharavi redevelopment scheme where more than 20 other lands are being given to Adani group will be cancelled after MVA forms the government. “We promise that the residents of Dharavi will be settled in the same location,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi attacked the current Maharashtra government saying that it has been formed by bringing down the previous INDIA front government through corruption. “Your land, projects and jobs are being snatched away from you. This is the BJP government for you. They claim that they are giving money to women, but the price rise, inflation and unemployment are on the rise. This BJP government takes out Rs 90,000 per year from your pocket and claims that they will give you Rs 1,500,” said Gandhi, taking a dig at the state government’s ongoing Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme whereby women below poverty line are being given Rs 1,500 per month.
NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar said that assembly polls are a time to decide on how to run this state. “We used to be the first in industry and business and now we have slipped to sixth place because of the government falling into hands of BJP and its friends,” said Pawar. Recalling how the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue collapsed in Sindhudurg district, Pawar said that the statues in Mumbai do not collapse in wind because there is no corruption in making them.
As successive speakers spoke about the attempts to weaken Mumbai’s importance by taking businesses out of Maharashtra, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar to ensure companies remain in the state and its lands are not being sold.
“I urge people of this state to protect the legacy of Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar. Rest of India has learnt from your state… if you remain united, nobody can snatch anything from you,” he said.
