PATNA: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday hit back at PM Narendra Modi over his ‘katta’ remark.
Addressing a public meeting in Vaishali district, Kharge asked whether Modi was present when RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was announced the CM face of the INDIA bloc. “Was Modi Ji present there?’ he asked.
The remarks came after Modi alleged that RJD had snatched the CM post from Congress under pressure. “RJD ne Congress ki kanpatti par katta rakh kar CM pad chur aliya,” PM Modi said.
Talking to media persons in Patna, Kharge claimed that BJP would “throw Bihar chief minister and JD (U) president Nitish Kumar out like a fly from milk” after the assembly elections. “When BJP-JDU leaders came to launch the NDA manifesto with Nitish Ji, they finished the press conference in 36 seconds.
They have been in power for 20 years, they could have stayed for at least 2 minutes. This was a faster manifesto launch than instant coffee. Everyone knows that Nitish Ji has been hijacked by the BJP. This will continue until the elections. Then they will throw Nitish Ji out like a fly from milk.”
In Vaishali, Kharge accused Nitish of betraying the legacy of socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur by aligning with BJP. He alleged that saffron party, which believes in ‘Manu Smriti’, has no concern for Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) or women. “Nitish Kumar is today sitting in the lap of BJP and given up on JP, Lohia and Karpoori Thakur,” he added.
Addressing rallies in Saharsa and Lakhisarai, Priyanka mocked Modi for frequently accusing Opposition leaders of insulting the country and Bihar, advising him to create a new ministry—Apmaan Mantralaya (Ministry of Insult).
The new ministry will make a list of all people who disrespected or insulted him or the country. “The proposed ministry can also maintain records of the insults hurled at my family every day by the ruling party — enough to fill an entire library,” she said. She also accused the PM Modi of trying to divert people’s attention from unemployment and poverty by attacking Opposition leaders.
