Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of focusing solely on issues concerning Muslims and misrepresenting the intentions of the Congress party.
Speaking at a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, Kharge criticized Modi’s recent comments regarding wealth redistribution and Muslims.
Kharge asserted that Modi’s remarks about “Mangalsutra and Muslims” were a result of his frustration over the growing popularity of the opposition’s INDIA bloc.
“We are heading for a majority, that is why he (Modi) now talks about ‘Mangalsutra’ and Muslims. He says we will steal your wealth and give it to those who have more children. Poor people always have more children. Do only Muslims have them?” he asked.
Kharge challenged Modi’s claims of wealth redistribution by questioning whether the Congress party had ever seized assets or misused government agencies during its tenure.
“Poor people have (more) children as they do not have wealth. But why do you (Modi) only keep talking about Muslims? Muslims belong to this country,” he said, asking people not to get misled as “we have to build the country by taking everyone together, no like them (BJP) by breaking it.”
Furthermore, Kharge criticized Modi’s economic policies, alleging that they favoured industrialists like Adani and Ambani while neglecting the welfare of the poor. He questioned Modi’s comparison to past Prime Ministers, asserting that the Congress party’s contributions to India’s development far exceeded those of the current government.
“We ruled the country for 55 years, but did we snatch anyone’s ‘mangalsutra’ or misuse the ED (Enforcement Directorate), IT (Income Tax) to put people behind bars?,” Kharge said.
Kharge urged voters to consider the implications of reelecting Modi, warning that another term under his leadership would lead to further deterioration of the country. He emphasized the importance of preserving India’s unity, democracy, and constitutional values.
“Nowadays he is saying Congress wants to do X-ray of gold in every house and lands and it will not leave even your `mangalsutra’. We have said we want to conduct a caste census to assess the conditions of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes so that their situation can be improved, but he made fun of it,” Kharge said.
If such a prime minister ruled for five more years, the country will be destroyed, the Congress president said.
“He (Modi) says ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas’. He takes support of everyone but never does their ‘vikas’ (development). He does their ‘satyanash’ (destruction). He implemented demonetisation and did not support anyone during the Covid (epidemic),” Kharge added.
The Congress leader’s remarks come ahead of polling in Janjgir-Champa on May 7.
