MYSURU: All-India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Congress and the people of the country will never allow the BJP and RSS to try to weaken or change the Constitution.
Speaking at the Congress government’s Sadhana Samavesha in Mysuru on Saturday, Kharge said that he, accompanied by LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, will visit all the states to organise people to protect the Constitution as part of its ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, and Jai Samvidhan’ campaign.
“If the BJP tries to change the Constitution, it will lead to their downfall. They also question Dr BR Ambedkar’s role in drafting it... but members of the drafting committee themselves have clarified that Ambedkar was its principal architect. Modi should remember that he became CM and PM because of the Constitution,” the Congress president said.
He said that PM Narendra Modi visited 42 countries, but when innocent people were being killed in Manipur, he didn’t have the courage to visit that state.
Calling PM Modi a “Sardar of lies,” Kharge said that the former has betrayed the trust of the people. “Rs 5 lakh to every citizen, 2 crore jobs annually, doubling farmers’ income, curbing inflation, ending corruption and terrorism... none have been delivered. Modi is the ‘sardar of lies’ who has shattered people’s trust,” he said.
He also referred to the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s statement that the number of poor is increasing and wealth is getting centralised in the hands of some wealthy people, which is contrary to the Prime Minister’s claim that poverty has reduced.
Kharge also took a dig at the BJP for its ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ slogan. “If Congress had just a few more seats in the Lok Sabha, Modi wouldn’t have returned as PM. Modi claimed he would win over 400 seats but barely managed 220. Ego always leads to downfall,” he said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism that the Congress has done nothing for the country, Kharge reminded him that it was former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who established major public sector undertakings like HAL, BHEL, BEL, and HMT.
“What has Modi contributed to Mysuru, Bengaluru, or Karnataka? Nothing. He is known only for delivering lengthy speeches full of lies on television, something no prime minister has done before. While people in the country are suffering, Modi is busy with his foreign tours. He has handed over public sector companies, founded by visionaries like the Maharajas and Nehru, to corporates like Adani and Ambani,” he added.
He said that 24 State Government departments have jointly undertaken development works worth Rs 2,678 crore in Mysuru. “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has always shown special affection towards Mysuru. Whether as Finance Minister or Chief Minister, he has prioritized the city with substantial welfare and development initiatives. In contrast, the BJP government brought no development but only corruption,” he added.
Refuting the BJP’s allegation that the Congress government is bankrupt, Kharge highlighted that Siddaramaiah has allocated Rs 50 crore to each MLA for development works. He said that whenever Siddaramaiah handles the finance portfolio, the goddess Lakshmi blesses the state.