Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing critique against PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, alleging that despite the Prime Minister’s failure to fulfill any of his electoral promises, he still claimed significant achievements for the country.
During a press briefing held today, Kharge asserted that the Congress, as a party, consists of individuals who played a pivotal role in securing India’s independence, while emphasizing that the BJP has historically not been supportive of this endeavor.
“He (PM Modi) did not implement even one of what he said (electoral promises). Still, he says that Modi did a lot of work for the country. Congress is a party of those who made India independent. The BJP never fought for the independence of India or the development of India. We built this country. They (BJP) speak so much about patriotism that Nehru is nothing before them, Indira Gandhi is nothing before them and Lal Bahadur Shastri is nothing before them–Modi is everything. They even put the idea that India attained independence after 2014 and the country was not independent before that – all of these are reflected in his words,” he stated.
Kharge criticized the defectors who departed from the party and joined the BJP, questioning their rationale for spending three to four decades within the Congress if they believed it to be so unsatisfactory.
The Congress national president also underscored the significance of the 2024 election in safeguarding democracy and upholding the Constitution.
“This election is very important. It is not an election to humiliate any person. This election is to showcase the democracy of the country. This election is to save the Constitution. Fighting for rising inflation and unemployment. But the people of the government, especially Modi, always say that Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas. There was no development, everything was destroyed. GST is imposed on farmers, on food and drinks. He told the youth that he would provide two crore jobs. Farmers were promised to double their income. Nothing was implemented,” Mallikarjun Kharge stated.
In reaction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s choice not to field a Muslim candidate in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections, Kharge stated, “There is an alliance of three parties. All three parties make decisions together. There are some misunderstandings, too. They will be compensated for Rajya Sabha and Assembly seats. There is no problem from our side.”
Kharge proceeded to condemn PM Modi for his reaction, referring to it as a “tight slap” after the Supreme Court dismissed requests for 100% VVPAT verification of votes cast through electronic voting machines. He alleged that Modi often makes such remarks.
“It is Modi’s habit to speak such things. The plea was by an advocate, not my party. It was done by lawyers and NGOs,” he stated.