Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he says poaching Opposition and heavyweight political leaders from regional parties through intimidation, All India Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI to target the Opposition.
Now, he has not even spared 91-year-old Janata Dal(S) former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, Mr. Kharge added.
Addressing a gathering at a programme organised in Bidar on Tuesday to felicitate him on the completion of 50 years of his political journey and also to mark the completion of 10 years of Article 371(J) amendment to the Constitution, Mr. Kharge said that the Modi-led Central government is scaring away Opposition leaders, troubling poor farmers and supporting his industrialist friends.
He said that the big industrialists and willful defaulters have been allowed to go scot-free and the poor farmers are being harassed by banks. In the last 10 years, the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre has miserably failed on all fronts and he keeps lying. Mr. Modi has failed to provide two crore jobs to youths every year, to bring black money back, deposit ₹15 lakh into every citizen’s bank account and also to double farmers income.
Mr. Kharge slammed the Modi-led government over the declining standards of education in the nation and sought quality improvement by engaging focused attention on academic activities. He also blamed Mr. Modi for taking credit for schemes introduced by the previous government and the former Prime Ministers late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and late Indira Gandhi.
Pointing out that the majority of mainstream media are owned by businessmen close to Mr. Modi, the AICC president said that press freedom has seen a significant decline under Mr. Modi’s rule.
Mr. Kharge said that Congress is waging a fight to protect the interests of the poor and save the Constitution. He appealed to the people of Bidar district to vote for Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Environment and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre lauded the political journey of Mr. Kharge and highlighted his dedication to labour rights, educational development and his efforts to address social inequities in the backward region of Kalyana Karnataka.
Khandre move
Meanwhile, Mr. Khandre seems to have used the event to virtually launch his son, Sagar E. Khandre, into politics. Political experts have said that Mr. Khandre appears to be preparing ground for his son to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bidar constituency.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Haj Rahim Khan, the former Minister Rajashekar B. Patil, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkarwada) State convener Mavalli Shankar, Siddarama Beladal Sharanaru of Basava Yogashram also spoke on the occasion.
Aland MLA and advisor to Chief Minister B.R. Patil, Congress leaders Ashok Kheny, Vijay D. Singh, Mala B. Narayan Rao and others were present.
