Ravi Shankar Prasad highlights Congress misrule, says Maharashtra needs change

Asserting that the Congress' misrule at the Centre during the last 10 years had brought it down to 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said Maharashtra needs change, adding he is confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form a majority government in the state.

"Maharashtra needs change. And like the people of Maharashtra voted for us the during Lok Sabha elections, I am confident that they will vote for us during the assembly elections as well. I am confident that BJP will form a majority government in Maharashtra," he told a press conference here.

Launching a frontal attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, Prasad said: "What the Congress did in last 10 years of their rule at the Centre has brought them down to 44 seats in Lok Sabha. The BJP would like to ask Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as to what they have done in Maharashtra in the last 15 years to merit vote of the people."

"What has Congress-NCP done to tell people about the legacy of Shivaji? This so called commitment for the legacy of Shivaji is phony, is devoid of commitment," he added.

The BJP leader highlighted the farmer suicide rate in Maharashtra in a bid to gain the support of members of the farming community.

"The farmer suicide rate in Maharashtra is over 3000 per year. Manmohan Singh had once announced a package of Rs. 1100 crores, what happened to that?" he asked.

The BJP, which is for the first time in 25 years contesting alone after break up with the Shiv Sena over seat sharing, is confident that a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will enable it to conquer the throne of Maharashtra after the assembly polls.

The election for 288-member Maharashtra Assembly is scheduled to be held on October 15 while the counting of votes will take place on October 19.