Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of helping the now embattled Adani business group since coming to power and of subverting democracy by “expunging genuine issues raised by the Opposition in Parliament”.
Addressing a rally in Sahebganj district on his maiden visit to Jharkhand after he became Congress president, Kharge said, “In 2019, Adani was worth ₹1 lakh crore. Within a span of two-and-a-half years, his worth increased to ₹13 lakh crore. It was the same (Gautam) Adani in whose flights Modi came to take oath. What is the magic wand that multiplied his fortunes? It happened because Modi funded his friend with public money,” Kharge said.
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“I would request Modi ji to teach this knack to the country’s poor, farmers and the workers. Then they won’t have to put in so much of labour. You helped him make ₹13 lakh crore. Help the people in making at least ₹13 lakh,” the Congress president said.
Accusing the BJP government of subverting democracy, Kharge said the portion of his speech as well as of Rahul Gandhi were expunged though they simply raised issues plaguing the country.
“Even my shayari (couplets) were expunged. What was unparliamentary in that? Even Modi ji cracked some shayari, but they were not removed,” he said.
Hitting back at the Congress president, Jharkhand BJP chief and Rajya Sabha member Deepak Prakash said the grand old party has no moral right to speak on democracy.
“No one other than the Congress used laws to dismiss elected non-Congress governments. They brought down three BJP governments in the state in a single day during Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The party that imposed Emergency has no moral right to speak on democracy,” said Prakash.
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The BJP leader also accused Kharge of addressing a rally at a location which is an alleged hub of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
“He was addressing the rally at Gumani in Baraharwa block in Sahebganj, which is hub of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. When we talk of weeding out illegal immigrants, their governments file affidavits in the Supreme Court against it. They do not have the courage to do a rally in tribal belt because the infiltrators are exploiting tribal girls, besides grabbing their land. If the Congress is partner in this corrupt state government and sharing the spoils, it would also have to share the sins,” he said.