MVA Will Win 46 out of 48 Seats, Says Mallikarjun Kharge at INDIA Bloc Press Conference in Mumbai

Leaders of the INDIA bloc convened a press conference on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in Mumbai. Among those in attendance were Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP (SP), and Uddhav Thackeray, the president of Shiv Sena (UBT), alongside other leaders ahead of fifth phase of Lok Sabha Election 2024. The opposition alliance held an election rally in the city on Friday.

During the press conference held in Mumbai by the leaders of the INDIA bloc, these leaders said:

Mallikarjun Kharge:

• Illegal government in Maharashtra with support of prime minister. 
• PM Modi in every speech tries to divide the country. 
• People of the country is fighting in this election against the BJP and PM Modi. 
• PM Modi only pays lipservice to democracy, but doesn't follow it. He used tod-fod policy in politics. Before Maharashtra, same tactics were used in Karnataka, MP and other states.
• INDIA alliance will win 46 seats out of 48 seats in Maharashtra.
• PM Modi neglected Mumbai. Bullet train was announced in his first year, it didn't happen in 10 years. 
• We will implement one and simple GST, which will benefit businesses and traders of Mumbai. 
• I listened to PM's yesterday's speech. He speaks nothing except abusing us, calling us anti-national. 
• We will give 10kg foodgrains, double the ration being currently given by the govt. 
• Responding to a question on PM's statement that Congress will use bulldozer on Ram temple, Kharge said, "We don't so bulldozer politics. They do. PM Modi is doing this to instigate people. EC should take action against PM."
• On PM's statement calling Congress' manifesto as 'Maoist', Kharge said, "Earlier he said it was Muslim league manifesto, now he's saying it's Mao's manifesto. First he should decide on one thing. He keeps changing his stance. I don't know who is writing his speech."

Uddhav Thackeray:

• Jumla-era is going to end on June 4. Ache din will begin from June 4 because INDIA bloc govt is coming to power. 
• They are looting Mumbai and Maharashtra and taking everything to Gujarat. We will bring back the glory of Maharashtra. 
• PM Modi is campaigning for an illegal govt, taking along illegally elected CMs and deputy CM. 
• I had recently said they call us Nakli Sena, they will tomorrow call RSS Nakli Sangh. An interview of Nadda has come in today's papers where's he's saying that the BJP no more needs Sangh's help. These are signs of dictatorship. They will gulp down their own mentor organisation. 
• In areas where BJP is weak, voting ink is being marked on fingers of people even befire they could go for polling. We have complained to EC about these tactics. 
• "INDIA bloc has many faces for PM post. We have had discussion about the same. We will reveal the same at right time. But BJP has only one face and it's not working. They can't change their PM face midway election. So they are questioning us on PM face," Thackeray said. 

Sharad Pawar

• Reacting to Modi's remarks on asking him to vow that Rahul Gandhi won't insult Savarkar even after elected, Sharad Pawar said, "Savarkar is not an issue in this election. The PM does not want to fight election on issues. He wants to incite religious feelings of people. It's better to ignore him." 
• "It's wrong of him to say that our govt will use bulldozer on Ram temple. Out govt will respect all religious institutions, no matter if it belongs to Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Sikhs," Pawar said.