Yavatmal, Nov 13 (IANS) The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ‘insulting’ voters, democracy and the Constitution with its slogan of ‘vote-jihad’ in the ongoing state Assembly elections.

Addressing a huge election rally in this district for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)-INDIA bloc candidates, state Congress President Nana F. Patole said that the BJP does not believe in either democracy or the Constitution framed by B. R. Ambedkar.

“This is the reason the BJP is giving out divisive slogans like ‘vote-jihad’, ‘ek hain to safe hain’ or ‘batenge to katenge’. What message are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah trying to convey? Such terms and chants are an insult to the intelligence of the voters in the state,” said Patole.

Accusing the BJP of creating divisions based on caste religion in the state, he said that the BJP leaders are campaigning for the MahaYuti alliance parties and for candidates with questionable credentials.

“They are rooting for candidates like Nawab Malik (Nationalist Congress Party), whom the same BJP had accused of having links with mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. He was dumped in jail. Tomorrow, the BJP could field Dawood in the elections, then will it be called ‘power-jihad’?” thundered Patole.

Dwelling on the plight of the farmers in the state, the Congress chief said that the BJP at the Centre and the state MahaYuti governments had deceived the agriculturists in many ways, leading to huge distress in farmlands.

“They had promised to double farmers’ incomes, and provide minimum support prices to many crops, but nothing was done. The MSP for soybeans is Rs 4,892 quintal, but the growers are offloading it at around Rs 3,500/quintal, though Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured an MSP of Rs. 6000/quintal,” said Patole.

Ditto is the case with cotton which farmers are compelled to sell off at below the MSP, suffering huge losses as even the cultivation costs are not being recovered, he pointed out.

“The BJP double-engine government has blatantly played fraud on the farming community. When they vote in the November 20 assembly elections, they will remember the promised prices of soybeans and cotton, and will vote accordingly,” warned Patole.

Referring to the MVA Manifesto released last week, the Congress leader assured that after the MVA government is voted to power, it will provide the prices soybean and cotton farmers, which would be higher than the prevailing MSP to improve their lot.

Patole’s rally was attended by the Congress candidate Jitendra Moghe of Arni-Kelapur and top leaders like Shivajirao Moghe, Wajahat Mirza, Ganesh Muttemwar, Satish Bhuyar, Khwaja Beg, Praful Mankar and MVA allies.