Shirdi / Kolhapur, Nov 16 (UNI) Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's challenge that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi should take name of Shiv Sena founder-president late Bal Thackeray in a public rally, All India Congress Committee general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said on Saturday that Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Congress party have different ideologies, but the Congress party has utmost respect for Balasaheb Thackeray.
Addressing election rallies at Shirdi and Kolhapur for MVA candidates, she also gave a counter challenge to Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that they should announce from an open platform that they will conduct a caste-wise census and remove 50 per cent cap on reservation.
Responding to another accusation made against her brother Rahul Gandhi of being anti-reservation, she remarked that Modi and Shah are making false accusations against him from the land of saints and stated that BJP, Modi and Shah are afraid of Rahul Gandhi.
Taking a dig at Narendra Modi for speaking of bolstering Maharashtra, Priyanka Gandhi said that Pandit Nehru never discriminated while establishing institutions, dams, IIMs, IITs in various states of the country, but it was not the same case with the Modi government, she alleged.
She also targeted BJP for moving out of big projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat such as International Financial Centre, Tata Airbus, Vedanta Foxconn, and with that employment as well.
The Congress leader alleged that farmers, youth and women of Maharashtra are facing crisis because of the Modi government.
She also accused BJP of continuously insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and said that this insult of Shivaraya will never be tolerated.
She said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the idol of the country, Modi and his associates take Shivaji Maharaj's name but do not respect him.
"Seven years ago, Modi performed Jalpuja at Shivsmarak, but that memorial has not been completed even today. The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Parliament premises was removed by the Modi government. The Maharaja's statue at Malvan fort, which was inaugurated by Modi, collapsed in just eight months," she added.
UNI SP SS