BHILWARA(RJ), Sep 6 : Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today said the alliance of like-minded opposition parties named INDIA has worried the BJP which is now trying to drop India and keep only Bharat as the country’s name.
“The Constitution states India means Bharat. Do you have any objection to these two words? We are saying ‘Bharat Jodo’ but you are trying to bring something new…Whenever we talk about something, they either try to defame it or mislead people,” Kharge said addressing a farmers’ rally in Bhilwara in poll-bound Rajasthan.
The Congress President alleged that the Central Government has harassed and looted the poor.
He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi covered 4,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and spread the message of “Bharat Jodo” (unite India).
“We say Bharat Jodo, they say Bharat Todo,” he said, adding, “They are getting nervous over INDIA (alliance).”
Kharge said that the Narendra Modi Government does not allow anyone to rise and takes pleasure in erasing what the Congress had done earlier.
“Whatever things we did have been stopped. They neither have a plan nor the courage to work for the poor…They will not do anything and will just go on abusing the Congress,” he said.
Kharge said the Congress never lies and its every effort has been to strengthen people, whereas the BJP uses RSS and raises Hindu-Muslim issues.
He said the farmers’ movement against the now-repealed farm laws went on for months and 750 farmers died during the agitation but the prime minister did not even look at them.
Referring to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in 2021, he said a Union minister’s son crushed farmers with his jeep but the minister is still in the Government.
Targeting Prime Minister Modi, Kharge said, “He used to say that ‘I will double the income of farmers’ but he looted people (through high prices of) diesel, petrol, LPG, everything. He has harassed and ruined the poor. He issued directions and the finance department kept on looting people.”
He said that the Prime minister made multiple trips to Karnataka during the assembly elections and waved from his vehicle but people did not give vote to BJP.
The Congress leader said Modi did not say anything on the Manipur situation in Parliament, and when he did speak on the issue to the media he named Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as well.
He said the history of the Congress has been of sacrifice while the BJP had no contribution in the country’s independence.
“We are the ones who liberated the country, our leaders went to jail, made sacrifices. What did the Jana Sangh, present BJP or RSS do for the freedom of the country?” he said.
Responding to BJP leaders’ attacks on the Gandhi family, he said that Sonia Gandhi did not become the prime minister and gave the chance to Manmohan Singh while Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi laid down their lives for the unity of the nation.
He also accused the BJP of toppling elected Congress governments and said that the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan could be saved from being toppled due to committed MLAs and leaders.
The Congress President said that Modi had said that the objective of demonetization was to end terrorism and asked whether terrorism has been wiped off from Jammu and Kashmir.
On the “red diary” issue, Kharge said, “Keep your diary with you. If you have something, show it. We will fight in the court, we will tell the truth to the people.”
After sacked Minister Rajendra Gudha said he had a red diary that contains details of illegal financial transactions of Chief Minister Gehlot, BJP in the state has made it an issue and accused the Gehlot Government of corruption.
“Try not to be afraid. Rahul Gandhi has said ‘don’t be afraid’,” he told the gathering.
Praising various schemes of the state government, he said that Rajasthan is the best model of welfare and social justice and appealed to people to vote for the Congress party in the assembly elections which are due later this year.
He also said that Congress fights under a collective leadership and asked party leaders to remain united.
“Everyone fights together in Congress, there is only one captain,” he said.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the BJP is scared of the alliance of the opposition parties but the truth is on the side of the Congress.
He said the party won Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka assembly elections and now the party will win assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Revenue Minister Ramlal Jat and others were present in the programme.
However, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot was not present in the rally.
Pilot has been at loggerheads with CM Gehlot over leadership issues ever since the Congress came to power in December 2018.
He shared a post on social media platform X to welcome Kharge in Rajasthan before the start of the rally.
On the occasion, Kharge and Gehlot launched Kamdhenu Insurance Scheme. Insurance cover of Rs 40,000 will be provided for livestock and the state government will bear the premium. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
