Era of alliances over, want full majority: Modi in Maharashtra

Stating that the era of poll alliances was over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of Maharashtra in Gondia in to give the Bharatiya Janata Party "a full majority" in the October 15 assembly elections. Accusing the Congress-Nationalist Congress party regime of "looting" the state, Modi said both will be equally punished.

"The era of alliances has ended. If you want Maharashtra to progress, then give us full majority," Modi said, addressing an election campaign rally here. Modi cited examples of adjoining Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where voters had given the BJP a full majority.

"Maharashtra could be the number one state in the country," he said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar chose the Rajya Sabha route for himself but made Praful Patel a scapegoat and fielded him for Lok Sabha polls, Modi said. "The Maharashtra Assembly polls will decide the fate of Maharashtra," he said.

Modi observed that the inflation rate has come down for the first time in five years and cited reduction in petrol and diesel prices as important work done by his government. "Both the Congress and the NCP have destroyed Maharashtra. Both are equally to blame and both will be equally punished," he said. "The maximum number of terror acts occur in Maharashtra. After Uttar Pradesh, the maximum communal riots occur in Maharashtra," he said.

Appealing to the Maoists to shun violence and return to the mainstream, Modi said, "Put down guns from your shoulders and put ploughs on your shoulder. You will get relief." "Return to the mainstream. Stop the bloodshed. Be a partner in the country's progress. Nobody has succeeded through violence," he said.

"To political pundits, I wish to say, look around you and feel the atmosphere. We are going to get a clear majority (in Maharashtra)," he said. "Pawar was agriculture minister, but in Maharashtra, 3,700 farmers committed suicide per year. However, the Congress and the NCP government did not shed tears for them. Such a cruel government never existed anywhere," Modi said.

"Here, we had a chief minister (Prithviraj Chavan) who declined to share the stage with me. How can we work together if such governments are there in Maharashtra," he said.

Modi described LBT as "looto baato tax." "The BJP will free you from LBT after being voted to power in Maharashtra," he said. "Congress people ask me to give them an account of work done by our government. First give me an account of your 60 years of work. After that, ask me the account of my 60 days in office. I am accountable to the people," Modi said.

"Had I been allowed to complete the work of raising the height of the Narmada dam, Maharashtra would have got free electricity worth Rs 400 crore per year," he said. "Now, I can assure you that the work will be completed in one or two years," he said.

"Their (Congress and NCP) only job was to fill their pockets. They are shameless people. If you want Maharashtra to progress, give the BJP full majority," Modi said.