PM Modi's poll rallies not getting response, Rahul meets crowd-pullers: Chennithala

Mumbai: Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rallies in the state were not getting any response compared to the meetings of party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a press conference here, Chennithala said there were no listeners for PM Modi's rally in the city on Thursday.

"There were empty chairs everywhere at Shivaji Park. This proves that he (the prime minister) lies so much, and people don't want to listen," he alleged, claiming that Rahul Gandhi's rallies were attracting a lot of crowd.

The All India Congress Committee in-charge of Maharashtra said Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in Chimur (Chandrapur) and Dhamangaon (Amravati) on Saturday, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be in Shirdi and Kolhapur.

He said Priyanka will address rallies in Gadchiroli and hold a roadshow in Nagpur on Sunday.

The opposition MVA, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), will take on the BJP-led Mahayuti in the November 20 assembly election.

Chennithala also questioned why the BJP was not ready to undertake a caste census.

Rahul Gandhi has advocated for a caste census, saying the exercise will happen in the country and will show the injustice meted out to Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.

The Congress leader said inflation was skyrocketing, there was unrest among people and unemployment.

The MVA will get a clear majority in the election. There is a wave for a power change, he said.

Chennithala slammed the BJP for its slogans "batenge toh katenge" (we will perish if we are divided) and "ek hain to safe hain".

"It is the BJP that is dividing people. There is no unanimity among Mahayuti allies," he said.

Some leaders of the BJP have been using these slogans during their campaigns in the run-up to the state polls, even as the opposition parties criticised it for creating hatred and divisions in society.

Asked about BJP leader Ashok Chavan's allegation that Congress leaders attempted to finish his political career, Chennithala said, "The party gave him all posts. How can it finish him? It is Chavan who ditched the Congress."

The senior leader pointed out that in the past, PM Modi had accused NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of being involved in an irrigation scam and called Chavan a dealer, not a leader.