Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Maharashtra's Satara on Thursday, claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the state and the centre had adhered to the legendary warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji's principles and taken decisions that strengthen the pillars of nationalism and national security, while those opposing these decisions have got 'evil designs', he claimed, adding that they will get a befitting reply. "In the last five years, the Centre and the state government have adhered to the values of Shivaji Maharaj. Nationalism and national security is our top priority. Those having evil designs against the country will be given a befitting reply," PM Modi was quoted by news agencies as having said.

Modi was addressing the rally at Satara ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra on October 21 and also the by-elections to the state from the Satara Lok Sabha seat where the BJP has fielded Shivaji's descendant Udayanraj Bhosale, who recently joined the saffron party after quitting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). "In the last 5 years, our government has brought our armed forces at par with the armed forces of other countries. Be it Army, Navy or Air Force, modern weapons are a part of our armed forces today," he said, claiming that the party's policies were in line with Shivaji the warrior-king's ideologies.

Maharashtra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated at a public rally in Satara. #MaharashtraAssemblyPolls pic.twitter.com/cGQRlzISOV October 17, 2019

"We took decisions for national integration which the earlier governments did not have guts to take," he said. The Prime Minister wittily utilised the nationalistic rhetoric to his advantage when he touched upon a nerve of the people of Satara district, which reportedly sends in the most number of army men for the security forces. "In the land of 'Rashtra Rakshaks' (protectors of the nation), there is no place for those who speak against the national interest. Your excitement, energy is making the opposition lose its sense," Modi said.

He was targeting the opposition alliance in the state of the Congress and the NCP. Claiming that Congress-NCP has questioned the bravery of the soldiers, the Prime Minister added, "They even spread mispropaganda [sic] against Rafale (fighter jet deal with France) and their stand on the abrogation of Article 370 has hurt the people of Satara." He also said that the opposition leaves no chance to even malign Veer Savarkar (Hindutva ideologue), thereby not understanding the 'national sentiment'.

Prime Minister Modi said that the opposition should learn from their humiliating defeat at the Lok Sabha Elections this year, where the BJP won by a resounding margin. "They have been taught a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections and now Maharashtra and Haryana will also punish them severely (in the Assembly polls)," news agency PTI quoted him saying.