GUWAHATI
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to take all Indians along the path of development, he ended up scripting doom for all by trying to stifle democracy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on April 27.
In a play of words on the BJP slogan — ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, meaning ‘all together, development for all” — Mr. Kharge said that the PM had instead ensured ‘sabka satyanash’, meaning ‘doom for everyone’, and had failed to fulfil any of the promises he has made over his last decade in power.
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“He guaranteed two crore jobs [per year]. So, there should have been 20 crore jobs. He promised to bring back the black money he claimed was stashed abroad during the Congress rule and give ₹15 lakh to everyone. He promised to double farmers’ income and build a house for every family by 2022. He could not implement any of these promises,” Mr. Kharge told journalists in Guwahati.
BJP’s patriotism claims
He said that, unlike the Congress, the BJP had never fought for the country’s independence, but it keeps boasting about patriotism. “They talk about it so much that Nehruji, Indiraji, and Lal Bahadur Shastriji are nothing in front of them. Modiji is everything,” he said.
“They also say that India attained independence after 2014. I feel sad that people who grew up in the Congress and became leaders also say the same thing. If the Congress was so bad, why did you waste 30 to 40 years of your life in the party?” he asked the turncoats.
The Congress president said that his party was fighting the ongoing Lok Sabha election to save the Constitution of India and democracy, and to check the problems of inflation and unemployment. The farmers, in particular, are angry because of the hardships heaped on them by the BJP-led NDA government, he said.
‘Modi has no credibility’
Mr. Kharge insisted that the Congress was not trying to scare the Prime Minister with these allegations. “Instead, Modiji is trying to scare everyone through the [Central Bureau of Investigation] CBI and the [Enforcement Directorate] ED. Did you hear [former Prime Minister] Manmohan Singhji talking about snatching somebody’s mangalsutra in the 10 years [when the UPA was in power]? Did he ever talk ill of anyone? When [Modi] speaks, his statement carries no weight. That is his credibility,” Mr. Kharge said.
He also lashed out at the BJP on the electoral bond scheme. “Companies were forced to give donations through electoral bonds. They [BJP] said, if you do not donate, you will be behind bars. They did the same thing with the MLAs of the Opposition parties,” he said. “The BJP made those it called corrupt sit on its lap,” he added.
When asked, Mr. Kharge declined to end the suspense over who will be the Congress candidates from the Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh.
“Wait for a few days. The papers will come to me as I am required to put my signature. I will let you know then,” he said.
