Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Tuesday responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remarks about the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. In a statement, she accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of dishonesty and double standards.
"If he is talking about lies, corruption and appeasement, then Mahayuti has all three things. He lies every day and says that the Maha Lakshmi scheme which we have got is not good, but their Ladli Behna Yojana is good," Mohamed said. "He is talking about appeasement. Isn't increasing the salary of madrasa teachers in Mumbai appeasement? The Mahayuti government increased the salary of madrasa teachers..." she added, referring to the BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra.
Earlier on Sunday, Amit Shah criticised the Congress-led MVA alliance in Maharashtra, accusing it of failing to fulfil the promises it made in states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.
Speaking at a rally in Buldhana, Shah said, "MVA has given a lot of guarantees. Rahul Gandhi was angry with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge because he spoke the truth and said that only those promises should be made which can be fulfilled. The Congress party did not fulfil the guarantees it gave in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. MVA's guarantee is a guarantee of lies, corruption, appeasement..."
Shah also attacked the MVA over its opposition to key BJP policies. He said, "For the first time, Lord Ram celebrated Diwali in the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Not just the Ram temple, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Somnath temple is also being built... When we removed Article 370, they (MVA) opposed it, when we built the Ram temple, they (MVA) opposed it... MVA is also opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024...PM Modi has decided that the Waqf Act will be amended in Parliament and this right will not remain with the Waqf Board...."
The Union Home Minister then expressed concern over Waqf properties in Karnataka, saying, "In a recent incident in Karnataka, a lot of villages, many temples, and farmlands became Waqf properties. We are aware of Pawar Saheb's intentions. If MVA comes into power, they will indulge in doing similar things in Maharashtra as well." Shah also assured the public that the Waqf Act would be amended in Parliament under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Additionally, Shah questioned the MVA's governance record, saying, "From 2004-14, they were in power in the Centre and the state, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Sharad Pawar, all three of them were in power in the Centre. They had a government here as well. I want them to answer what they have done for Maharashtra in those years."
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with votes for all 288 constituencies to be counted on November 23.
