World knows who holds remote, Kharge only namesake chief: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a broadside on the Congress leadership, saying that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is just a “namesake president” while everyone knows who holds the “remote control”.
The Prime Minister was alluding to the Gandhis, who have often been accused by rivals of running
the party’s affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of disrespecting Karnataka, while alleging that its president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the state, was insulted by the party during its plenary session in Chhattisgarh.
He said Kharge was insulted and disrespected by the party, in favour of a “family”, apparently indicating the Nehru-Gandhi family, despite the Congress chief’s seniority and age.
PM Modi said that he has immense respect for Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, as he accused the Congress of disrespecting
the Dalit leader.
Speaking at an event in poll-bound Karnataka, the Prime Minister said that the “Congress leadership belonging to one family” insulted party chief Kharge during its Raipur plenary.
“Recently, at the Congress’s planery session in Raipur, I saw Kharge ji, who’s the party chief & senior-most leader of the party, standing in the sun while the luxury of umbrella was bestowed upon you know who,” the Prime Minister said.
He was referring to a picture floating on social media wherein former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is apparently standing under an umbrella while Kharge is seen beside her
without a shelter.
Kharge was elected as the Congress president last year after former chiefs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi refused to assume the top post. However, BJP has called the Congress presidential elections “fake”, saying that Gandhis are still running the show.
PM Modi is on a day-long visit to Karnataka, where assembly polls are due in May. He inaugurated the greenfield Shivamogga airport earlier in the day.
Earlier, PM Modi held a massive road show in the state, waving at a large number of enthusiastic crowd, who had lined up on both sides of the route.