JAIPUR: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to attend the all-party meeting convened after the Pahalgam attack last week.
Kharge was in Jaipur on Monday to launch the 'Save Constitution' campaign of the Congress in Rajasthan with a massive public rally in the Rajasthan capital. As part of the campaign, Congress workers will go door-to-door—first at the district level, followed by the assembly and booth levels—to raise awareness among citizens about what the party alleges are the BJP government's attempts to undermine the Constitution.
During his address at the Congress meeting, Kharge asserted, “It is the misfortune of the country that when the nation's self-respect was hurt, the Prime Minister was busy delivering an election speech in Bihar," Kharge said.
"Leaders of all parties attended the all-party meeting, but it is unfortunate that Prime Minister Modi did not. Was Bihar too far? The Prime Minister should have come to the all-party meeting and explained the government's plan," he said.
Kharge also criticised the BJP over a recent controversy in Rajasthan involving the washing of a temple with Gangajal after Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie's visit in Alwar.
Referring to BJP leader Gyandev Ahuja, Kharge said, "Our Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie visited a temple, which was later washed with Gangajal by a leader with a moustache. Where has the talk of Hindu unity gone now? Before elections, Amit Shah and his followers would visit Dalit households and have meals there. Yet, Dalits and OBCs are still denied the right to drink water from public ponds and touch idols that they themselves create. Shah and Modi are trying to make Dalits and OBCs bow down, but they will not."
Continuing his attack, Kharge accused Modi of making "12 false promises" to the people.“All their promises - bringing back black money, depositing Rs 15 lakh into every citizen’s account, creating 2 crore jobs annually, ensuring cheap petrol and diesel, cleaning the Ganga, providing housing for all, guaranteeing MSP for farmers, and ending inflation - have proven to be false,” Kharge said.
Other senior Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie, and senior leader Sachin Pilot, also addressed the gathering, criticising the BJP and accusing the central government of weakening democratic institutions.
The Congress announced that following today’s rally, district-level 'Save Constitution' rallies will be held across Rajasthan from May 3 to May 10, followed by assembly-level rallies between May 11 and May 17. A booth-level campaign will be launched from May 20 to May 30, during which Congress workers will conduct door-to-door outreach to educate citizens about what they describe as efforts by the central government to erode democracy and constitutional values.
However, Former Rajasthan Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore strongly criticized the Congress, accusing it of insulting the Constitution and politicizing the Pahalgam terror attack for electoral gains. He said that while the nation is mourning, Congress is exploiting the tragedy through rallies.
Rathore claimed that "under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Constitution is fully protected, and the public now sees through Congress’s cheap politics." He also targeted the Congress's past, citing the Emergency of 1975 as the "biggest assault on democracy," and accused the party of weakening democratic institutions during its decades in power.