Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rallies in the state were not getting any response compared to the meetings of party leader Rahul Gandhi. Speaking at a press conference here, Chennithala remarked that Prime Minister Modi's rally in the city on Thursday had no audience.
"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 announced that Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in Chimur (Chandrapur) and Dhamangaon (Amravati) on Saturday, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Shirdi and Kolhapur. On Sunday, Priyanka will also hold rallies in Gadchiroli and a roadshow in Nagpur. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), is set to challenge the BJP-led Mahayuti in the upcoming November 20 assembly election.
Chennithala also raised questions about the BJP's reluctance to conduct a caste census. Rahul Gandhi has been a strong proponent of the census, stating that it would expose the systemic injustice faced by Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis. Additionally, Chennithala highlighted the soaring inflation, growing unrest among the public, and rising unemployment as key issues affecting the country.