Kharge: Modi chose Bihar rally over all-party meet on attack

Jaipur: Launching an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP at the ‘Save the Constitution' rally in Jaipur, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Monday accused the PM of putting party and politics above country by absenting himself from the all-party meeting convened to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, and choosing, instead, to attend an election rally in Bihar.

"When our pride was hurt, the PM was delivering an election speech in Bihar....He should bear in mind that the country is supreme; parties and religion come second. Everyone should be united for the country," Kharge said, calling Modi's absence a "misfortune" and a "shame".

"Members of all parties came for the meeting, but Modiji didn't attend. This is shameful. Was Delhi far from Bihar? You speak of a ‘56-inch ki chhati', and of attacking them in their home. If you had at least participated in the all-party meeting, we would have been informed about your intended course of action. We were all ready to help. But Modi ignored it. This is the attitude of the PM and BJP."

Launching a broadside against the PM, Kharge said Modi's "56-inch chest has shrunk".

The Congress president accused him of his "12 lies" — from promising a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package to Bihar and creating 2 crore jobs annually, to providing cheaper fuel and doubling farmers income, cleaning Ganga, guaranteeing MSP and eliminating black money. Modi's legacy, Kharge said, was a pack of lies, inflation and unemployment.

"There are 30 lakh vacancies in the govt which they are not filling because Dalits and backward classes will get a chance," Kharge alleged.

The Congress also sharply critiqued Union minister Piyush Goyal for "insulting" India's 140 crore population by claiming they are "lacking in patriotism".

Sacked BJP functionary Gyandev Ahuja also featured in Kharge's attack on BJP. Railing BJP's belated disciplining of the errant former legislator for his act of purifying a temple after Rajasthan LoP Tikaram Jully visited it, Kharge doubled down on BJP's tendency toward creating schisms within society.

He drew on his own name — Mallikarjun — taking after one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas', to underscore his Dalit identity under the larger Hindu umbrella. "My father named me ‘Mallikarjun'....When Hindus are united, why is BJP bent on creating these divisions?", Kharge said.

Angered over Union Home minister Amit Shah's controversial statement on BR Ambedkar in Parliament, the party chief added, "These people take Baba Saheb's name repeatedly. They say if people uttered God's name as many times as they did Ambedkar's they would achieve salvation. This is who they are. They cast aspersion on those who worked and went to heaven. Now let Yamraj decide whether liars will get a spot in heaven or not."

Kharge also accused BJP of political harassment, referring to the chargesheets against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.