Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 18 (ANI): After Rahul Gandhi mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’ slogan by showing a metal ‘safe’ and then pulling a photo showing PM Modi with Gautam Adani, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde on Monday questioned the Leader of Opposition whether he had forgotten about Congress leaders who were photographed with the industrialist and asked if Gandhi had these pictures in his safe.
Earlier, during a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, Gandhi brought the metal ‘safe’ claiming a link between the PM’s slogan and the Dharavi redevelopment project in the city being given to the Adani Group. He then pulled out two posters from the safe, one shows PM Modi with Gautam Adani with “ek hain to safe hain” written on it and another shows the map of Dharavi with “Dharavi ka bhavisha safe nahi” written on it. Gandhi sought to suggest that the Dharavi redevelopment project was designed to “save” Adani’s interests.
“Has Rahul Gandhi forgotten about Robert Vadra, Ashok Gehlot, Revanth Reddy, Shashi Tharoor, and other Congress leaders photographed with Gautam Adani? Did he not have these pictures with him in his safe (locker)?.. Ek hain toh safe hain, Rahul Gandhi fake hain,” Tawde said.
He further asserted that Dharavi’s land will remain with the Maharashtra government.
“We have not given Dharavi’s land to anyone. Rahul ji, Dharavi’s land will remain with the Maharashtra government. You (Rahul Gandhi) said that we want to remove the poor from there. This tender was issued on the basis of tender conditions made during the time of Maha Vikas Aghadi… The truth is that whoever lives in Dharavi will get a house there… If you look at direct investment, the highest foreign direct investment in this country came during the Mahayuti government. Maharashtra’s ranking went down during your time,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi outlined Congress’ key poll promises and further criticised corporate influence in the elections.
The LoP framed the election as a contest between the aspirations of the common people and the influence of a few wealthy individuals, particularly industrialist Gautam Adani, who he accused of trying to take control of Mumbai’s land and resources.
He claimed that Rs 1 lakh crore could be directed to a single billionaire, a move he argued would disadvantage farmers, workers, and the unemployed.
“The Maharashtra election is an election of ideologies and an election between 1-2 billionaires and the poor. The billionaires want the land of Mumbai to go into their hands. The estimate is that Rs 1 lakh crores will be given to one billionaire. Our thinking is that Maharashtra, the farmers of Maharashtra, the poor, the unemployed, and the youth need help,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi, during his address, criticised Gautam Adani, particularly its interest in redevelopment projects in Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum, arguing that corporate control over land in Mumbai would change the city’s character and divert resources away from the public.
“On one side, Adani ji is there eyeing Dharavi and Maharashtra’s money. The target of changing the nature of Mumbai, and on the other hand, we have farmers and youth who are dreaming, and the Maharashtra government is breaking their dreams,” he said.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections will take place on November 20, votes will be counted on November 23.
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, and Congress 44. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the MVA delivered a strong performance, winning 30 of the 48 seats, while the Mahayuti managed to secure 17. (ANI)
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