As numerous leaders of the Congress party defect to join others before the Lok Sabha election, party President Mallikarjun Kharge stated on Friday that these leaders are cutting ties “out of fear due to their wrongdoings”.
At the event for the party’s manifesto launch for the general elections, the Congress Chief criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of using the slogan ‘400 paar’ to attract Congress leaders.
“At this time, some people are running away from us out of fear. They are the same people who have done something wrong. The one who stands straight on his principles, no one can scare him. We are the people who will get scared. Our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi do not fear, but the PM does. He talks about ‘400 paar’ after taking our people. He could not go to Manipur but went all over the world. When our leader Rahul Gandhi went there, why couldn’t he? He did not go because he fears and the one who gets fear, cannot run a country,” Kharge stated.
He further claimed that many leaders previously accused of corruption became ‘clean through washing machines’
“They say that they would eradicate corruption. You took our 25 senior leaders and two of them were exonerated…People who are going to Shah’s washing machine, are coming out to be clean. The corrupt people are with you and we are being blamed,” Kharge added.
Numerous notable politicians have stepped down from Congress since 2020, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Amarinder Singh, among others. Gourav Vallabh, a distinguished Congress spokesperson with expertise in finance and economics, resigned from the party on Thursday, attributing his departure to the party’s apparent lack of direction and inability to communicate its policies and manifesto effectively.
In his resignation letter to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Vallabh expressed concerns over the party’s position on matters like the caste census and its apparent bias against the Hindu community. He noted that the party appeared to be drifting from its core principles and not aligning with the aspirations of ‘New India’.
In February, the Maharashtra Congress faced internal turmoil after the resignation of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and the departure of other leaders from the state unit. Former Union Minister Milind Deora also resigned from Congress and joined the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on January 14.
The Congress President criticized the Centre under PM Modi’s leadership, urging the nation’s people to come together and oppose what he termed an “autocratic government.”
“Opposition leaders are being jailed, there is no level playing ground in the elections. Huge penalties and several cases have been slapped on our party. They have slapped the Rs 3567 cr penalty on us. Is this level-playing ground? There is a need to save the democracy and constitution of the country. People of the country should unite and fight against this autocratic government led by PM Modi and remove it,” he stated.
Kharge also stated that the manifesto his party released will be remembered as ‘Nyay ka dastavez’.
“This manifesto of ours will be remembered as ‘Nyay ka dastavez’ in the political history of the country. The Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, which was run under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, focused on five pillars during the yatra: Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Naari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay was announced. Out of these five pillars, 25 guarantees emerge, and in every 25 guarantees, someone or the other gets benefited, under this, we have our manifesto here…” he added.
Kharge also mentioned that his party’s manifesto was developed through extensive public participation and outreach.
“It’s the birthday of Babu Jagjivan Ram today. He was in our party for a long time and made a huge contribution to the ministry. We are dedicating this ‘ghosna patra’ to the poor on such a day. Congress’s manifesto is being released for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. On December 22, 2023, a 16-member Congress manifesto committee was formed. After widespread public participation and outreach, this ‘ghosna patra’ has been prepared,” he stated.
The manifesto was unveiled in Delhi by Kharge, alongside senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. P Chidambaram, the former Union Finance Minister who chaired the committee responsible for drafting the document, was also present. The party stated that the manifesto’s overarching theme revolves around ‘work’, ‘wealth’, and ‘welfare’.