Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks on an array of topics — from wealth tax to the consumption of non-vegetarian food during Hindu festivals — Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that Mr. Modi was speaking out of “frustration” .
“Everybody is saying the Congress will get big majority in first two phases hence Modi sahab is writhing, the land beneath his [Mr. Modi’s] feet is shaking, and out of frustration he is abusing us, speaking on mangalsutra, Mughals, Muslims, to even mutton and chicken,” Mr. Kharge said in his public speech in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa on Tuesday.
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The references cited by the Congress president pertained to the content of Mr. Modi’s campaign speeches, including one where he claimed that the Congress intended to distribute people’s wealth to those who had more children and to infiltrators. Mr. Modi had prefaced it by citing a speech by his predecessor, Manmohan Singh of the Congress, purportedly saying Muslims had the first right to the wealth of the nation.
Countering these claims, Mr. Kharge said that it was not Muslims but the poor who had more children and that he himself had five children.
“Poor people always have more children...do only Muslims have them (children)? I have five children,” he said, recounting a conversation with his late father. “I was the only son. My father said you are my only child because your mother, sister and uncle died. My house was burnt and everyone died...only two of us survived. He said if you undergo an operation (sterilisation), then I want to die as I am alive only to see your children. So, the poor don’t have money, they have children. So why do you target only Muslims?” he said.
The 81-year-old leader said that Muslims were Indians, and appealed to the gathering to not be mislead by the BJP and build the country together.
Referring to another of Mr. Modi’s recent statements on the mangalsutra of women being taken away as part of a wealth survey, he said that his party had only been speaking of a census for the backward classes.
“These days Modi-ji is saying that for the benefit of the backward classes, Scheduled Caste and Tribes, those people [the Congress] want to get everyone’s X-ray done. What X-ray? To find out how much gold is there in the house, how much land is there, how many jobs are there. That’s the census. To find out what should we do to change the situation of the Backward Classes, we have mentioned the census. That too he [Mr. Modi] has mocked. He has gone on to say that Congress people won’t even spare your mangalsutra. If the Prime Minister who says this [Mr. Modi] remains for five more years, the country will be ruined,” Mr. Kharge said.
“The Congress ruled India for 55 years but did we ever steal anyone’s mangalsutra? Did we forcibly apply taxes and misuse the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to put people in jail?” he said at another point in his speech.
He said that the PM spoke of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’, but while he took saath (support) of everyone, he did not do any vikas (development) and only did satyanash (devastation).
Earlier in his speech, he questioned the char sau paar (400 plus) slogan of the BJP, saying that the BJP’s supporters and leaders were talking about the party’s intentions to change the Indian Constitution.
Published - April 30, 2024 05:58 pm IST
