NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his election campaign pitch over the last 15 days, claiming that he used the ‘mandir’ word 421 times in his speeches, his own name, Modi, 758 times and Muslim, Pakistan and minorities 224 times but didn’t even once mention inflation and unemployment.
“If we look at BJP’s campaign and talk about the PM, in the last 15 days he mentioned Congress 232 times. He mentioned his own name, Modi, 758 times and on 573 times, he spoke about INDIA alliance and opposition parties. But he didn’t speak once about price rise and unemployment. It shows that he kept the important issues aside and only spoke about himself in the campaign,” Kharge told reporters hours before the campaigning for the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections drew to a close.
He also faulted the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not acting against PM Modi for the divisive election campaign though the election watchdog prohibited parties from appealing on caste or communal lines, Hindustan Times reported.
Kharge also expressed confidence that the INDIA alliance would form a government when votes are counted on June 4.
“We are confident, people will give a verdict for new, alternative govt. INDIA alliance will form a government. and it will be an inclusive, nationalistic and developmental government,” Kharge said.
Asked who would be the prime minister if the INDIA bloc did win the elections, Kharge said: “We can’t project anyone as the PM because we have an alliance. We will call everyone, take their opinion and whatever the leaders of the alliance say, the PM will be decided on that basis.”
The Congress president said people had come together to vote out the BJP government to defend the Constitution.
“Gandhi ji practised the politics of ahimsa and not hatred. But Modi ji’s politics is full of hatred. Our focus remains on welfare for all. This poll will be remembered for people forgetting their differences in religion, caste, creed, faith, sex language and joining hands to defend the Constitution. PM and BJP tried to mislead people on multiple occasions. We sought votes on issues,” Kharge said.
Kharge also took a dig at PM Modi over his comments that no one knew of Mahatma Gandhi globally before a film on the father of the nation was made, Kharge said: “After June 4, Modi and other BJP leaders will get a lot of free time to read about Gandhi. They should read his biography and his book, My Experiments with Truth.”
“If the PM doesn’t know about the work of Mahatma Gandhi, then it is possible that he doesn’t know about the Constitution too. Gandhi ji had a vision for swaraj and he fought for swaraj. Those like Modi ji or others in BJP, who are unaware of Gandhiji, I want to tell them that when they get free time after June 4, they should read his biography,” he said.
“By sitting at Vivekananda rock or taking a dip in the sea of river Ganges, one will not understand Gandhi. They need to study too,” Kharge said
