Maharashtra Election 2024: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra invoked the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray during her campaign for the Maharashtra assembly elections on Saturday, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of contradicting his own remarks. Priyanka’s comments came in the wake of Modi’s challenge to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), asking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to speak in praise of Bal Thackeray and Veer Savarkar.

“Modi comes here and speaks of Balasaheb Thackeray, but stabs his son in the back,” Priyanka said, referring to the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2022, which saw Uddhav Thackeray ousted as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister.

नरेंद्र मोदी, यहां आकर बालासाहेब ठाकरे जी की बात करते हैं और उन्हीं के बेटे की पीठ में छुरा घोंप देते हैं।

: @priyankagandhi जी

📍 कोल्हापुर, महाराष्ट्र pic.twitter.com/KgBBGfNVAS

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 16, 2024

Priyanka’s rare reference to Thackeray came at a time when Union Minister Amit Shah had dared Rahul Gandhi to speak “nicely” about both Bal Thackeray and Veer Savarkar at a rally in Hingoli on Friday, ahead of the elections on November 20. Shah’s remarks were also aimed at Uddhav Thackeray, asking him to get Rahul Gandhi to commend the two leaders.

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‘Ideologies Different But…’: Priyanka Gandhi Responds To PM Modi’s Bal Thackeray Challenge To Rahul Gandhi

Speaking at rallies in Shirdi and Kolhapur, the Congress leader also accused BJP leaders of insulting Shivaji Maharaj, referencing the collapse of a statue of the warrior king in Sindhudurg district earlier this year. “The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj outside Parliament was removed. The statue installed in Sindhudurg collapsed due to corruption during its construction. What is the point of invoking the name of this legendary king if you’re going to insult him?” she said.

#WATCH अहिल्यानगर, महाराष्ट्र: कांग्रेस महासचिव प्रियंका गांधी वाड्रा ने कहा, “पिछले 10 सालों में पीएम मोदी के राज में, भाजपा के राज में और यहां 2.5 साल से जो सरकार रही है उसके राज में सच्चाई की अहमियत क्या रह गई?… मंचों पर बड़े-बड़े नेता कुछ भी कह देते हैं… आज मुझे ताज्जुब… pic.twitter.com/Ybx5d5974P

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 16, 2024

Further criticising the BJP, Priyanka highlighted the contradictions in Modi’s leadership. She alleged that while the Prime Minister often invokes the name of Bal Thackeray, his actions fail to honour Thackeray’s legacy or complete projects like the memorial for Shivaji Maharaj near Mumbai. “Modi lays a foundation for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but later stops the work. He speaks of Balasaheb Thackeray, but when it comes to completing the statue of Shivaji Maharaj, he does nothing,” Priyanka said.

She also pointed out that neither Bal Thackeray nor Rahul Gandhi would have tolerated any insult to the legendary warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Priyanka said, “The Prime Minister takes Balasaheb Thackeray’s name in the context of my brother. I am his sister, listen to the name of Balasaheb Thackeray. Yes, our ideologies and political outlook were different, but neither Balasaheb Thackeray nor any leader from Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, would tolerate an insult to Shivaji Maharaj.”

In her address, Priyanka also slammed Modi’s speeches, calling them “disappointing” due to their lack of truth. “If I listen to the speeches of leaders, especially the Prime Minister, they are disappointing because there is no truth in his words. It sounds like he is saying one thing and doing another,” she said. Priyanka called for political leaders to speak with integrity, urging Modi and state leaders to focus on positive and truthful rhetoric given their positions.