In his first campaign rally in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi implored the people to vote for a BJP government in the state, as only then would the country be able to progress.“The country’s future is linked to Mumbai and Maharashtra, the country cannot progress if Mumbai and Maharashtra lag behind.. If you don’t give us enough numbers to form a stable government, then you will fall in the same rut. To change Maharashtra’s fortunes, you should vote for the BJP.”said Modi addressing supporters at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai. He added that it would be advantageous for the people of the state if BJP was voted to power. “ You should have a government that should make the centre listen and also ensure that it listens to the centre. This will happen easily if the BJP is sworn in to power… or else if there is another government even if I wanted to, then I can’t implement anything, as a different government would create hurdles.”claimed Modi.Alluding to the reception that he got in the United States recently, Modi said that it was not due to him but due to the huge mandate that the people had given him. “ America is listening to us, because after a long while, we have got a strong mandate of the people.”said Modi.Alluding to the problems in Mumbai, Modi said that he would strive to ensure that the slumdwellers in the state get a house of their own and infrastructural projects would be completed on a war footing. “ Iam promising you that the Navi Mumbai airport, the Navi Mumbai sea link and the suburban network will all be completed in our tenure.”said Modi.Stressing on the issue of how the Congress-NCP has ‘ruined’ the state, Modi claimed that the state has had the most terror attacks and is the second state after Uttar Pradesh to have the maximum communal incidents. The Prime Minister spoke of the need to rise above communal and language politics and said that today’s youth only need development.