Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday attacked Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray with a “chameleon” jibe, PTI reported.
At an election rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, CM Shinde criticized Uddhav Thackeray and said he had never seen a “chameleon” that changed color so quickly.
CM Shinde compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s achievements in the last ten years with the Himalayas and said that the work done by the Congress was like a mound, according to PTI.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are about developing progress, growth and making Narendra Modi Prime Minister for the third time, he said, according to PTI.
CM Shinde was eyeing Shiv Sena candidate Sandeepan Bhumre, who is also his cabinet colleague.
Sandeepan Bhumre, who filed his nomination from the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), will take on Chandrakant Khaire of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and AIMIM’s sitting MP Imitiaz Jaleel.
“The work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last ten years can be compared to the height of the Himalayas, while the work done by the Congress is like a ‘tekdi’ (mound),” he said, the news agency reported on Thursday.
CM Shinde claimed that even a man who is asleep will prefer PM Modi over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi because the country has a PM who has not taken a day off in the last 10 years.
Playing an audio clip of Thacekray’s old speech calling on people to vote for Prime Minister Modi, CM Shinde said he had never seen a “chameleon” changing color so quickly.
“Earlier they sang praises of Narendra Modi. Chameleons change colour. But I saw a chameleon changing color so quickly for the first time,” he said at the rally in Gulmandi area, PTI reported.
CM Shinde also sought votes for Raosaheb Patil Danve, BJP leader and Mahayuti candidate for the neighboring Jalna Lok Sabha seat.
The Aurangabad and Jalna Lok Sabha seats will be voted in the fourth phase on May 13.
“They criticize me saying that I go by helicopter and work in agriculture (in their village). It takes me 8 hours to reach Mahabaleshwar (near Shinde village). But I can sign 10,000 files in those eight hours,” he said. .
Referring to Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s ‘inheritance tax’ remark, CM Eknath Shinde said the Congress has set its eyes on the properties of the poor even before the elections are over.
On the Congress election manifesto, CM Shinde said, “Congress has no right to release its manifesto. They should first say what they did earlier. They should come up with a `mafinama` (apology) instead of a manifesto.”
(with PTI inputs)