BJP 'tukde tukde gang' caused two parties to split in Maha: Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday dubbed the BJP as the "tukde tukde gang", saying it engineered a split in two political parties in Maharashtra, and added that people have not liked the saffron party's act.

Khera also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was creating religious polarisation through his poll speeches since the BJP does not have any issue to highlight among people in terms of the work that the party-led government at the Centre carried out in the last 10 years.

He expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would win 35 out of the total 48 seats in Maharashtra.

"The BJP that has split two parties in Maharashtra is the 'tukde tukde gang', and people have not liked this. There is a preference for the INDIA bloc in Maharashtra, and the same atmosphere is seen across the country, including Gujarat," the chairman of the Congress' media and publicity department said.

Khera was referring to the split in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) caused by the rebellion by now chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar respectively.

'Tukde tukde gang', which roughly means 'people who want to break India into pieces', is a term repeatedly used by the BJP to target Congress and Leftist forces.

Targeting the prime minister, Khera said, "Every time PM Narendra Modi spoke during the Lok Sabha election campaign, he created a controversy. There is no report card of his government's work carried out in the last 10 years, so he has nothing to tell people. Since the BJP does not have any other issue, Modi has to emphasise religious polarisation."

After 4 June (Lok Sabha election results), PM Modi should go to deeksha bhoomi in Nagpur and introspect. The INDIA alliance will lead in Maharashtra and the results in Maharashtra will be replicated in the country, Khera said.

"Modi is giving back-to-back interviews, but everything that he says is laughable. What kind of medicine does Modi ji take that he forgets what he said one day and says something completely different today. Modi's interviews seem like a comedy show," he said.

"Modi has made a laughing stock of the prime minister's post. He refers to Rahul Gandhi as shehzade and when asked a question about Rahul Gandhi, says 'kaun Rahul' (who is Rahul). Rahul Gandhi is not shehzade (prince) but shahidzade (son of a martyr). There is only one prince in the country and that is Amit Shah's son Jay Shah," Khera charged.

Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said the Lok Sabha elections have been taken up by the people and there is a lot of anger against the BJP and PM Modi, making it look like the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will win with a majority.

"Sixteen persons were killed and 75 injured in the hoarding collapse accident in Ghatkopar. Prime Minister Modi did not even show the humanity of meeting the relatives of the dead and the injured and consoling them," Patole said. By taking out a roadshow from Ghatkopar itself, PM Modi has rubbed salt into the wounds of the relatives of the deceased, he added.