‘Punishment To Those Who Betrayed Us’: PM Modi’s Swipe At Uddhav After Mahayuti Win | Top Quotes

Last Updated:November 23, 2024, 22:39 IST

PM Narendra Modi was referring to the undivided Shiv Sena’s exit from the BJP-led Mahayuti after the 2019 polls, following which Uddhav Thackeray joined the opposition MVA and became Maharashtra CM

PM Narendra Modi addresses a gathering after the Mahayuti’s stunning victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on November 23. (Image: @Narendra Modi/X)

In what could be perceived as a swipe at former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the people of Maharashtra have “punished” those who “betrayed us” as the ruling Mahayuti returned to power with a stunning victory in the assembly elections.

Modi was possibly referring to the undivided Shiv Sena’s unsavoury exit from the BJP-led alliance after the 2019 assembly polls, following which Uddhav Thackeray joined the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and became the Maharashtra chief minister.

He further said the people’s mandate was a win for the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision, while also propagating the message of ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ (When united, we are safe). “Today I would like to thank the people of Maharashtra. Some people betrayed us, but Maharashtra refused such people and punished them when the time came… Maharashtra is an important growth engine and the people’s mandate is for ‘Viksit Bharat’. After Haryana, the message of Maharashtra election is togetherness… Ek hain toh safe hain,” he said while addressing a gathering at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

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Here are some top quotes from PM Narendra Modi’s speech:

On ‘Maha Mantra’ Of India: Modi said the latest round of elections has endorsed the message of development and defeated the politics of lies and betrayal propounded by the Congress and its allies. He added that divisive forces, negative politics and dynasticism have been defeated in the election and bypolls in different states.

“‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ has become the ‘maha-mantra’ for the entire nation and it has punished those who wanted to divide the country on caste and religious lines. The Congress and its ecosystem had thought that by spreading lies in the name of the Constitution, they could divide the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in small groups. This is a solid slap on their faces,” he said.

On The Defeat Of ‘Negative Politics’: He said negative politics has lost and this is the first time that a pre-poll alliance received such a massive mandate in the state. He added that the people voted for stability and taught a lesson to those who tried to create instability, even as the BJP emerged as the single largest party.

“People have made divisive forces bite the dust. The Congress and its allies have failed to grasp the changed realities of the country’s mood,” he said.

On Maharashtra Voting Against Instability: The prime minister stressed that voters do not want instability and they believe in nation first and do not like those dreaming about “chair first”, in another attack on the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). He added that voters in Maharashtra also evaluated the Congress on the basis of the false promises made in other states like Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.

“Neither their false promises nor their dangerous agenda worked in Maharashtra,” he said.

On ‘Ambedkar’s Constitution’: He also said the Maharashtra election also shows that only one Constitution will work in India and that was given to the people of the country by BR Ambedkar. The Congress and its allies were again trying to create a wall of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

“I want to say this to the Congress and its allies that no force in the world can bring back Article 370 and insult our Constitution,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)