South India holds promise too, according to Shukla. Puducherry and Tamil Nadu will see NDA governments, with Kerala poised for BJP breakthroughs. The Election Commission’s schedule has ignited these forecasts.

Responding to Congress’s Nana Patole, who questioned the timing, Shukla fired back: ‘He doesn’t know Maharashtra’s history—time he cracked a book.’ He defended the poll panel’s prerogative on dates and outcomes, chiding Congress for selective memory.

Parliament’s LPG uproar drew Shukla’s ire. Opposition is peddling lies to incite disorder, he said. Government stocks are sufficient for homes, bolstered by returning vessels from Hormuz. ‘Congress and SP hoarders are the real culprits, tormenting people with falsehoods,’ he accused.

Praising the removal of Bengal’s top bureaucrats, Shukla said it’s vital for clean elections. ‘Election Commission acts to neutralize Mamata’s grip.’

On Bharat Ratna for Kanshiram, Shukla exposed contradictions. Congress snubbed Ambedkar and mourned no one for Kanshiram; SP ditched his named district. Rahul’s demand? ‘Pure hypocrisy.’

Shukla’s vision underscores BJP’s momentum, positioning it as the force reshaping India’s political landscape.

In an exclusive interview, Shukla pointed out the irony: ‘He bows at Babur’s grave but objects to Lord Ram in a rural welfare plan.’ This rhetoric positions the Congress scion as out of touch with India’s civilizational ethos, a narrative the BJP has long pushed.

Joining the fray, Shambhavi Choudhary of LJP (Ram Vilas) dissected Gandhi’s approach to governance. She charged him with habitual exaggeration and poor preparation on key legislations, aiming to incite public fear rather than foster informed debate. ‘He peddles falsehoods under the guise of public interest,’ Choudhary remarked.

Defending the scheme, Choudhary linked it directly to Gandhian principles of village self-sufficiency. Annual evaluations ensure its relevance, she noted, dismissing opposition critiques as politically motivated. The plan’s evolution reflects proactive policy-making for India’s agrarian heartland.

The episode highlights ongoing NDA-Congress clashes, where religious symbolism intersects with policy. With rural India at stake, the ‘Jee Ram Jee’ initiative stands as a flashpoint, testing voter allegiances ahead of crucial polls. BJP’s offensive seeks to rally its base, portraying Gandhi as elitist and anti-tradition.

‘Elections over, and so is the Thackeray unity mirage,’ Shukla quipped. He highlighted Raj’s open backing of the ‘genuine Shiv Sena’ in Dombivli-Kalyan, interpreting it as a stamp of approval for Shinde as the rightful successor to Bal Thackeray’s legacy. A former MNS MLA’s confession that the support was cleared with Raj himself adds weight to this narrative, Shukla noted.

Uddhav’s faction, according to Shukla, is willfully blind to these public endorsements. This revelation follows MNS’s formal pledge to back Mahayuti for the Kalyan-Dombivli mayor post. Recall that BJP-led Mahayuti triumphed in most of Maharashtra’s 29 municipal polls held on January 15, with results out on January 16.

Shukla also tackled the Shankaracharya controversy, slamming opposition hypocrisy on Sanatan Dharma. He charged that leaders who historically unleashed bullets on kar sevaks are now posing as defenders, even aligning with Swami Avimukteshwaranand amid reported assaults. BJP, he stressed, remains Sanatan’s unwavering guardian.

These comments signal escalating tensions in Maharashtra’s power corridors, where post-election realignments could reshape alliances ahead of bigger battles.