Guwahati:
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the names of party candidates for the prestigious seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh will be announced in “a few days”.
Addressing a press conference here, he alleged that while the BJP says the corrupt should be put in jail, leaders accused of corruption join the saffron party, are “put on the lap” and sent to Rajya Sabha or the Assembly.
He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming the latter's words had “lost credibility” while also accusing him of polarizing the country.
“You have to wait for a few more days… when people's candidate names come to me and I sign the notification, it will be announced,” he said when asked about the candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies Lok Sabha.
“Those who are questioning Congress leaders about changing constituencies should also tell me how many times (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and (Lal Krishna) Advani have changed seats,” Kharge said, when asked about the BJP criticizing Rahul Gandhi for fighting of the elections from Kerala's Wayanad. instead of Amethi.
“There was a demand from the people of Wayanad and he went there. Leaders should go as demanded by the people,” he said about Gandhi's contest from Kerala.
Kharge told the Prime Minister, “Modi is trying to intimidate everyone, with CBI or ED or anything else.” Comparing Prime Minister Modi with his predecessor Manmohan Singh, he said, “In his 10 years as Prime Minister, have you ever heard Manmohan Singh talk about taking away someone's mangalsutra? Has he harmed anyone?” “Singh would make one statement and it would be printed worldwide. If Modi speaks and his words have no credibility, what can we do about it?” he said.
Asked about Prime Minister Modi's claim that the Congress manifesto is about appeasement of Muslims, Kharge asserted that it is a document with guarantees for everyone from youth to farmers, workers, women and backward classes.
He lashed out at the Prime Minister, saying: 'You should think before you speak. Our Nyays and guarantees are for everyone… if you repeatedly say it is for Muslims, you polarize, you divide the people and one day you will repent. Asked about his reaction to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's comment that “Kharge should join the BJP,” following the Congress chief's statement that “Modi should first read the grand old party's manifesto , then we can have a discussion,” the Rajya Sabha MP said he will speak to the Prime Minister, who is his opponent in Parliament, and not a Prime Minister.
“I spoke to Modi and not your (Assam) CM because I am Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. I was also in Lok Sabha. I also have some competence in parliamentary office… I will speak to Modi Why he (Himanta) is concerned about it? Let him face the people here (in Assam) and then talk about me,” Kharge added.
Kharge claims that the BJP is “rolling out the red carpet” for leaders of opposition parties who face corruption charges when they join the party. “They (BJP leaders) say that corrupt leaders will be put in jail, but when those same people join the BJP, they make them sit on their lap.” He said there are many such examples of corrupt leaders of other parties joining the BJP and becoming ministers, MLAs or MPs.
Kharge asked defector leaders “who grew up in Congress and later left it” that if the grand old party “was so bad, why did they waste 30 to 40 years on it.”
“The Congress is like a flowing river, it is not affected by a few people leaving it. It is a party that is more than a century old. It has a history of making India independent and giving it democracy and a constitution. We have shown that democracy in India has survived only because of the Congress,” the party president claimed.
Noting the contribution of Congress leaders in the freedom struggle, Kharge said, “People who liberated the country are in Congress. No one from the BJP has fought for independence or development. They talk about patriotism and try to project that (Jawaharlal) Nehru. , Indira (Gandhi) and Lal Bahadur Shastri were nothing for them.” “It is only Modi for them and they think India achieved independence in 2014,” he added.
Kharge claimed that the upcoming elections are about “sustaining democracy and saving the constitution”.
“Those in the government, especially Modi, said they were in favor.”sabka saath, sabka vikas'. But what actually happened was 'sabka satyanaash' he claimed.
To a question on whether the Congress has failed to make electoral bonds a poll issue, the party chief said it has raised the issue.
“We said there is no level playing field. Loss making companies gave them (BJP) donations of Rs 500-1,000 crore.chanda do, dhanda lo',” he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)