The Maharashtra BJP has strongly criticised the m.festo released by the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, labeling it as deceptive and unreliable. BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods to garner votes and claimed that development is not in the DNA of the Congress party.
Speaking to the media in Nagpur, Bawankule alleged that the Congress had previously opposed several initiatives, including the Ladki Bahin scheme, even taking legal action against them. He noted that Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar had publicly criticised these schemes as financially unviable, yet the party is now proposing a new version promising Rs3,000 per beneficiary. Bawankule demanded that the Congress clarify how it plans to fund such programmes.
Bawankule highlighted the readiness of the BJP-led government at both the state and Central levels. He emphasised that under Prime Minister Modi’s ‘double engine’ governance model, the budget for development and welfare initiatives was already in place. The BJP, along with its allies, was ready to fund these initiatives, he said.
Responding to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s criticism of the government, Bawankule said, “The entire country saw how the people of Haryana voted based on the merits of the leaders, not false promises.” He also pointed out that Rahul Gandhi’s credibility had been questioned in the past. According to Bawankule, Modi’s leadership remains central to India’s developmental progress.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also criticised the MVA m.festo, describing it as a “fake” document. He claimed that the MVA had simply copied Mahayuti’s recent m.festo and made false promises without any plan to fund them.
“When we released our m.festo, the opposition questioned where the money would come from. Now, I ask the MVA, where will you get the money to fulfill your promises?” Shinde challenged.
