Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan: ek hai to safe hai, accusing him of prioritizing the interests of business tycoon Gautam Adani over the people of Maharashtra. 

He explained the nexus between the slogan and Mumbai’s Dharavi project being given to Adani. Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader quoted PM Narendra Modi’s slogan, questioning who is one, who is safe and whose is it safe? He then continued that the answer is, there is Narendra Modi, Adani, Amit Shah and there is safe Adani, and at the same time, the people of Maharashtra and Dharavi are the ones who suffer loss.

The Congress MP said that  the Dharavi redevelopment is unfair, and it is being done to benefit only one person. He added that they are not convinced how tenders are being given, mentioning that only one person is given all the ports, airports and wealth of India. Furthermore, he also endorsed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s promise to cancel the Dharavi project tender if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comes to power.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that major industrial projects had been moved out of Maharashtra to Gujarat, accusing the Eknath Shine government of depriving the state of economic opportunities. He noted that a total of Rs 7 lakh crore worth of projects like Foxconn and Airbus have been shifted to Gujarat, taking away 5 lakh jobs from the people of Maharashtra.

Terming the Maharashtra election as a contest between the billionaires and the poor, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress government would side with the farmers, poor and the unemployed. He noted that the main issues are employment and inflation.

Earlier, The BJP has defended the Dharavi project, calling it a transformative initiative to provide better living conditions and infrastructure for the residents of the slum area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the film ‘The Sabarmati Report’, based on 2002 Godhra train incident, saying the truth is coming to out.

He expressed his thoughts on social media platform X, saying, “Well said. It is good that this truth is emerging, especially in a manner accessible to the general public. A deceptive narrative can only last for so long. Ultimately, the facts will prevail!”

The Prime Minister’s remarks came in response to an X user who had shared a video of the film’s trailer, which was released on Friday.

‘The Sabarmati Report’ focuses on the tragic incident involving the burning of the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra station in Gujarat on February 27, 2002, resulting in the deaths of 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. This event ignited widespread riots in Gujarat that year.

Directed by Dheeraj Sarna, the film is produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, Amul V Mohan, and Anshul Mohan, and features actors Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna, and Ridhi Dogra.

In response to PM Modi’s commendation, producer Ekta Kapoor expressed her gratitude, highlighting that his praise provided a significant morale boost for the film’s team. Resharing the Prime Minister’s post, she wrote in Hindi on X: “Respected Prime Minister, thank you very much for your encouraging words about #TheSabarmatiReport. They have invigorated our spirits. Your recognition of #TheSabarmatiReport confirms that we are on the right path. Thank you for your love and support.”

This is not the first instance of PM Modi praising a film. In 2022, he lauded Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’. He stated, “History must be conveyed in the correct context. Books, poetry, literature, and films all play a crucial role in this. You’ve likely heard the discussions surrounding ‘The Kashmir Files’; it has certainly ruffled the feathers of those who champion freedom of expression.” The film depicts the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley and features Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, among others.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the latter compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to outgoing US President Joe Biden over memory loss, saying Gandhi should not be taken seriously.

The senior BJP leader expressed confidence that the people of Maharashtra would support the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the upcoming state Assembly elections on November 20.

“The way Rahul Gandhi speaks, nobody takes him seriously. I think people should not take his remarks seriously,” Gadkari said while speaking to PTI.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, on Saturday took a swipe at the Prime Minister, saying Modi is suffering from memory loss like the outgoing United States president.

During an election rally in Maharashtra’s Amravati on Saturday, Gandhi said: “My sister was telling me that she listened to PM Modi’s speech. She said that these days Modi ji is essentially repeating whatever we say. Perhaps he has suffered memory loss. Like the former President of America. He used to forget things and had to be reminded from behind about what to say, and what not to.”

The Rae Bareli MP commented on the incident where Biden mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” during the NATO summit held in Washington in July.

Gadkari, responding to Gandhi’s allegations about PM Modi suffering from memory loss like Biden, hit out at the Congress leader for speaking irresponsibly.

On Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s dissent regarding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ remark, which suggested increasing tensions within the Mahayuti alliance, Gadkari downplayed the issue, stating, “First of all, we are different parties, and it is not necessary that we share the same opinion.”

He elaborated that “the media also distorts what is said. This creates misconceptions. The call for unity was to unite against terrorism and Naxalism”.

On being asked about the challenges confronting the Mahayuti alliance following its less-than-stellar performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Gadkari attributed the results to the confusion propagated by the Opposition. “A narrative was created that if we win 400-plus seats, we will amend the Constitution drafted by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.”

Gadkari strongly denied these assertions, saying, “There is no question of changing the Constitution. We will neither do it, nor allow others to do it. Now people have realised that the campaign by the opposition during the Lok Sabha polls was based on lies, and they have decided to support with positivity the Mahayuti in Maharashtra under PM Modi’s leadership.”