Taking serious exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that the Congress, based on its election manifesto, will snatch mangalasutra from women, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge hit back stating that the Prime Minister must be ashamed for stooping to such a low level.
“We have ruled the country for 55 years. We introduced land reforms, abolished bonded labour, nationalised banks and carried out many such monumental works. We have helped the poor. We never resorted to snatching mangalasutra or something else from people,” he said at a public meeting in Afzalpur of Kalaburagi district on Wednesday.
The meeting was organised as part of the party’s campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in the State.
Countering the BJP’s repeated questions on the Congress’ contribution to the country, Mr. Kharge said that the BJP is selling all that the Congress created for the country.
“What is the contribution of Mr. Modi to the country? He has introduced a couple of trains on the tracks that the Congress had laid. In my 11-month tenure as Railway Minister, we introduced 37 new trains. Mr. Modi has done nothing for the country,” he said.
“You [Mr. Modi] are selling all those big factories, hospitals, ports and airports that Jawaharlal Nehru established. There are two sellers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and there are two buyers, Ambani and Adani. Mr. Modi is living for Ambani and Adani and not for you. He wants power to serve them and not you,” he said.
Pointing to the BJP’s election promises, Mr. Kharge said that Mr. Modi copied the guarantee idea from the Congress and presented it in the name of Modi Guarantee.
“We have given five guarantees in Karnataka and implemented all of them. Mr. Modi has given many guarantees, including bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks and distributing it among the people here, generating two crore jobs every year, doubling farm income by 2022 and waiving farm loans. None of them have been fulfilled in the last 10 years,” he said.
Countering the BJP’s repeated attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family, Mr. Kharge said that none from the Nehru-Gandhi family has been in power since 1989 and still, the BJP prefers to continue its attack on that family.
“Mr. Modi says that the Congress, if voted to power, will distribute the wealth of the nation to Muslims. He did not understand our manifesto. We have promised to fill 30 lakh vacancies in the Central government departments. We have promised to pay ₹1 lakh a year to every female head of the family. Are these initiatives meant for a particular community? Everybody will benefit from them. I have written a letter to Mr. Modi seeking appointment to explain our manifesto and make him understand it,” Mr. Kharge said.
Recalling his defeat in the last Lok Sabha elections in Kalaburagi, Mr. Kharge called upon the people to forget those days and work collectively to give BJP a humiliating defeat this time.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ministers Priyank Kharge and Sharan Prakash Patil, party Kalaburagi candidate Radhakrishna Doddamani and others were present.
