PM, BJP candidates linked to men accused of crimes against women: Cong

The Congress on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJPs Lok Sabha poll candidates remain closely connected with men accused of horrific crimes against women.The opposition party claimed that the BJP candidate from Pune continues to maintain close ties with BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces sexual harassment charges.

The Congress on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidates remain ''closely connected'' with men accused of horrific crimes against women.

The opposition party claimed that the BJP candidate from Pune continues to maintain ''close ties'' with BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces sexual harassment charges. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh posed a set of questions to the prime minister ahead of his rally in Pune.

''After Prajwal Revanna, can the PM clarify his and his party's links with Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh? Why is the Chakan industrial area facing a mass exodus of manufacturing units? Why has the Centre neglected Maharashtra's sugar industry?'' Ramesh said in a post on X.

Elaborating on what he said were ''jumla details'', Ramesh said it emerged that the BJP's top leadership knew of NDA candidate for Hassan Lok Sabha seat Prajwal Revanna's rampant atrocities against women, even as the PM ''personally sought votes for Prajwal in his rallies''. ''Now, it emerges that the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Pune continues to maintain close ties with infamous BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, and has even felicitated him at an event in Pune. On one hand, the Prime Minister loves talking about women empowerment and building Nari Shakti but on the other hand, he and his candidates remain closely connected with the men accused of horrific crimes against women,'' Ramesh alleged.

''It has become clear that in 'Modi ka Parivar', Nari Shakti is just a slogan that is projected while the Parivar shelters perpetrators of sexual violence. What does the PM have to say about these double standards?'' Ramesh said.

He said Pune's Chakan industrial area, a hub for automobile manufacturing, is currently witnessing a mass exodus of manufacturing units due to poor infrastructure. Despite ongoing roadwork, basic issues of traffic congestion and potholed roads continue to plague the area – with traffic jams and accidents becoming the consequence, he said. ''This has led to disruptions in production schedules as the movement of raw materials to factories and the transportation of finished goods have been severely hampered. Even after industrial associations have made repeated complaints to the Pune police, and many meetings with officials from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, no meaningful progress has been made,'' he said.

Now, around 50 manufacturing units have relocated to other states like Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Ramesh said.

''At a time when retaining every investment has become key and Maharashtra has already lost big projects to Gujarat – why has the Mahayuti and the Modi Sarkar been so negligent?'' he said.

The Congress leader said that expecting a shortage in sugar production this year, the Central government has imposed a blanket ban on the production of ethanol because of which millers in Maharashtra are sitting on stocks worth at least Rs 925 crore. ''The Centre's predictions, however, are flawed as the per acre yield of sugarcane has actually increased by over 15 per cent. Now, sugar mills find themselves in a fix - in addition to the financial burden imposed by this ban, they are also worried about the fire hazard posed by their existing stocks of ethanol and spirits, which are incredibly combustible materials,'' he said.

Neither has the Centre's reactionary policy helped the farmers - the greater than expected supply of sugarcane has lowered prices for the crop, especially given the drop in demand due to the ethanol ban, Ramesh said. ''Is the PM going to take responsibility for this disastrous shift in policy? Does the BJP have any plans to rectify the problems they have created for the sugar industry?'' he said.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh accused the BJP of ignoring the plight of thousands dealing with water scarcity in Maharashtra's Satara and Solapur, and asked what has Prime Minister Modi done to alleviate the problem.

Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister ahead of his poll rallies in Solapur and Satara, and wondered whether the Rs 1,750-crore Solapur Transmission Line project was handed over to a private company in exchange for electoral bonds.

''Why are the Pune-Satara and Satara-Pandharpur highways falling apart within 2-3 years of inauguration?'' Ramesh asked.

Elaborating on what he said were ''jumla (rhetoric)'' details, the Congress leader said the scarcity of drinking water in Satara, Sangli and Solapur is getting worse with every passing day.

The situation has become so bad that the Solapur Municipal Corporation has to supply drinking water on a rotational basis now, with different city areas getting water at an interval of five to eight days, he said.

In 2014 and 2019, the BJP Lok Sabha poll candidates from Solapur and Satara had promised to address the water woes if elected, but locals say they were hardly seen in the area after their electoral victories and never took any steps for tackling the crisis, Ramesh said.

Ramesh also posed questions for Modi ahead of the prime minister's rally in Karnataka's Bagalkote.

''Why has the Modi government failed to deliver the Bagalkote-Kudachi railway line? Why is the Modi government holding up the Upper Bhadra and Mahadayi projects? When will the PM pay Karnataka's MGNREGA workers?'' he asked on X.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)