GURMITKAL: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi abuses the Gandhi family because he does not have any achievements to his credit.
Congress is leading in the two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, which has worried Modi, Kharge said during a public meeting in this town in Yadgir district.
Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Kalaburagi, which is going to polls on May 7.
Gurmitkal is part of this constituency.
"Everyone knows what was there before and after Modi's birth in this country but he still abuses Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lalbahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and me because he has nothing to his credit", he said.
"Modi says out of frustration that Congress is taking away everyone's property and distributing it among Muslims. This is neither written in the Constitution nor mentioned in our manifesto anywhere," the 81-year-old said.
He explained that Congress has only said that it will give to the poor whatever is due for them but "never spoke about Hindu-Muslim."
Kharge further said that his party had done it during former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi's tenure through land reforms, nationalisation of banks and Life Insurance Corporation. These were done for the poor, he added.
"Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi brought MNREGS (during UPA rule). Did Modi do anything like that?" he asked. He told the crowd that Congress brought the Food Security Act giving 35 kg food grains every month to poor people. However, Modi started giving five kg extra during COVID-19 pandemic and started boasting that he is giving to 80 crore people of this country, Kharge said.
"You (Modi) gave it because we brought the law, which no one can snatch. This is the work we had done."
"Modi says he is going to strengthen the country. Are we going to weaken it? It was we who broke Pakistan into two. What did you do? "Modi talks so much. He says he has a 56-inch chest. What will we do with a 56-inch chest ? Tell us what you did for stomach? What are you giving us for meals?" he questioned.
"Today, price rise is an issue worrying poor people."
