Patole slams Modi for 'par-jeevi', crutches jibe at Cong; calls BJP casteist and communal

Mumbai, Nov 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying the opposition party was a "par-jeevi" (parasite) which is alive on crutches.

Addressing poll rallies in the state earlier in the day, the PM said Congress has needed allies to survive in Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand etc.

The PM keeps claiming the Congress is finished but then mentions the party at least 50 times in his speeches, Patole added.

"It is not the Congress but the Modi government that relies on crutches for support. Modi's concern for OBCs is nothing but fake affection. The OBCs lost political reservation because of the BJP," he said.

Modi had said the Congress was angry with OBCs because their consolidation in the1990s (which marked the era of Mandal politics) resulted in the party losing power. So, it wants to weaken OBCs and destroy their unity so that doors to power open for them again, Modi had said attacking the party.

Asserting that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was also in the state to address poll rallies during the day, were appealing for votes in the name of caste and religion, he said, "Caste-based hierarchy is ingrained in BJP's ideology. The BJP has committed the sin of inciting tensions between castes, and Modi should not blame Congress for this." In the sacred land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the people of Maharashtra will not tolerate Modi and Shah's attempts to create political divisions based on caste and religion, the senior Congress leader added.

It was the BJP which opposed the Mandal Commission report that recommended reservations for OBCs and the party has sown discord among Marathas, Dhangars, Adivasis and Halbas on the pretext of quota, Patole alleged.

Patole said Rahul Gandhi was fighting to protect democracy and the Constitution and mocking him was akin to insulting the Constitution.

"The BJP has consistently disrespected Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. It is BJP that has labelled those defending democracy and the Constitution as Naxalites. The BJP is responsible for doing away with reservations in jobs by selling off public companies," he said.

The Modi government has appointed RSS-affiliated persons to joint secretary level posts without conducting UPSC exams, thereby depriving SCs, STs and OBCs of reservation benefits (in such posts). he claimed.

The BJP wants to create religious conflicts with slogans like "batenge to katenge" (disunity will lead to destruction), he said.

The BJP's stand on Dalits, Adivasis and minorities makes one wonder if the party even considers them citizens of this country, Patole alleged.

Modi's claim that Congress is no longer a national party is childish and ridiculous, he added.

Modi's government relies on the support of Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, while in Maharashtra, the party split the Shiv Sena and NCP to gain power, Patole asserted. PTI MR BNM