12 May,2024 05:24 PM IST | Samastipur/Muzaffarpur | mid-day online correspondent
Mallikarjun Kharge. File pic
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning why his government did not take any action if, as per his allegation, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani were sending black money to Congress, reported the PTI.
Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bihar's Samastipur and Muzaffarpur, Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that PM Modi could become the prime minister of India only because Congress fought for its Independence.
"PM Modi says we are silent on Ambani and Adani, we are not... I am asking why his government did not take any action if, according to his allegation, we received black money from these industrialists? Is it because they themselves received black money?" Mallikarjun Kharge asked, as per the PTI.
"Finally, the PM has admitted that these two businessmen have black money... Then why did you not take action against them? Where was the black money coming from? You should answer," he said, according to the PTI.
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PM Modi on Wednesday, for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections 2024, accused the Congress of having a "deal" with "Ambani and Adani", and asked if the party had received "tempo loads of black money" from the two industrialists. Kharge said that the PM calls himself "chowkidar" of the country, "so why did not the chowkidar stop these tempos?" Alleging that the BJP would end democracy if it was not voted out, Kharge said it was because of this democracy that a tea-seller's son could become the prime minister of India and he, the son of a labourer, could become the president of the opposition Congress. He alleged that the BJP was spreading communal hatred to divert the attention of the people from issues that mattered, the PTI reported.
"Neither the PM nor other BJP leaders will talk about issues such as growing unemployment or price rise. They are spreading communal hatred. The forces that are attacking the Constitution and spreading the politics of hate, must be defeated. They are dividing this country on lines of religion and castes," he alleged.
Recalling the contributions made by the Congress for India, he said former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the country and the people got the right to vote due to the struggles of icons such as Mahatma Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad. Kharge alleged the PM was lying that the Congress would impose an inheritance tax if it is voted to power.
"They are lying to the people and attempting to mislead and scare them. After three phases, it appears that the elections are not going as per their expectations. They are raking up irrelevant issues," he said.
He claimed the INDIA bloc performed well in all three phases and will continue to do so. "We will comfortably form the government at the Centre," he claimed.
Kharge said the PM does not talk about the promises made by the BJP over the years, the news agency reported.
"What happened to two crore jobs every year? What happened to the bullet train? What about the smart cities? He will not talk about these things. He knows only one thing, to abuse Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and me."
He claimed that the PM mentions Congress and the Gandhi family more than he takes the name of Lord Ram each day.
"If Modi becomes PM again, he along with RSS will change the Constitution and remove reservations for OBC, SCs and STs," Kharge alleged.
He also alleged that the Modi government neglected the underprivileged sections. "The Congress, if voted to power, would conduct a caste census so that these sections get their due," he said.
(with PTI inputs)
