Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at the INDIA bloc press conference in Mumbai
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders of the INDIA bloc on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that the Opposition will demolish the Ram temple in Ayodhya if elected to power. They affirmed their commitment to protecting religious freedom and upholding the Constitution.
Mr. Kharge demanded that the Election Commission take action against Mr. Modi for the remark.
“We have never used a bulldozer on anyone. It is their [BJP] culture, not ours. Modi lies and incites people about actions the Congress would never take or that are impossible,” he said at a joint press conference here.
At a rally in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, Mr. Modi said that if the Samajwadi Party and the Congress came to power, “they will send Ram Lalla back to the tent and bulldoze the temple”.
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Voting on May 20
Mr. Kharge, along with other INDIA bloc leaders, including NCP (SP) patriarch Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala and MPCC chief Nana Patole, was interacting with media on the last day of campaigning for the fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra. As many as 13 Lok Sabha seats in the State, including six seats in Mumbai, are going to polls on May 20.
Mr. Modi and the Opposition bloc held two mega rallies in the city on Friday.
When Today News 24 asked him about Mr. Modi’s repeated claims that the Congress would reinstate Article 370 if the INDIA bloc comes to power, the 81-year-old Dalit leader said, “I am not answerable to Modi. We will implement what we have promised in our manifesto.” He further accused the Prime Minister of creating societal divisions wherever he goes.
Mr. Kharge ridiculed Mr. Modi for calling the Congress manifesto ‘Maoist’, terming the accusation laughable and advising the Prime Minister to reconsider his advisers. “Modi had first labelled the Congress manifesto a ‘Muslim League manifesto’ and now a ‘Maoist manifesto’. First, let him have clarity on what he’s saying. He’s fooling people… Our party is centrist following the ideology of Nehru. In fact, Modi is like [Chinese leader] Mao, who kept attacking people,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge speaking in Mumbai on May 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Mr. Kharge accused Mr. Modi of inciting people with false claims. Mr. Thackeray stated that the INDIA bloc’s government would complete the Ram temple’s construction, while Mr. Pawar said the alliance would protect all religious places if elected to power. “No Prime Minister before Mr. Modi has ever incited people like he does. He talks about democracy but doesn’t follow its principles,” the Congress president said. He accused Mr. Modi of taking credit for initiatives such as the Food Security Act, which the Congress had introduced.
Mr. Thackeray pointed out that the INDIA bloc had multiple potential prime ministers, unlike the BJP’s “single, ineffective” candidate. He also accused the BJP of calling his party nakli (duplicate) and suggested it might similarly label the RSS. “They call us nakli Shiv Sena, tomorrow he may call RSS nakli Sangh. They’re on a mission to even finish its ideology parent, the RSS,” the former Chief Minister said, pointing out at BJP president J.P. Nadda’s interview published in an English daily.
The Sena (UBT) leader said ‘achhe din’ (good days), which Mr. Modi had promised, will begin on June 4 (when the Lok Sabha poll results are announced) when the INDIA bloc-led government takes charge. Mr. Thackeray alleged that the BJP is using narratives such as “Pakistan flags in our rally” to divert attention from issues like unemployment.
Both Mr. Thackeray and Mr. Pawar denounced the BJP-led government’s misuse of Central agencies, vowing to restore the glory of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Mr. Kharge condemned Mr. Modi’s “divisive” tactics, predicting that the Opposition would win 46 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
Simplified GST regime
Promising to simplify the GST regime, Mr. Kharge also said reservation, as guaranteed by the Constitution, would continue under their government. “They (BJP) are trying to portray us as deshdrohi (traitors) and themselves as deshbhakt (patriots). Our government will implement a simple, single-rate GST, replacing the current system,” he said.
Further, he called Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti government in the State “illegal” and reiterated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will get a majority in the election.
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s comment that she will support the INDIA bloc government and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary’s remark that Ms. Banerjee cannot be trusted and that she might go with the BJP, Mr. Kharge said: “Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command. Those who don’t agree will go out.”
