KALABURAGI: AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has defended the action of the Karnataka government in recommending the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct the upcoming local body elections in the state using ballot papers.
Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Kharge said the Congress suspects vote theft in several Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. “Hence, the Congress launched a campaign to create awareness about the ‘vote theft’ tactics of the NDA, which has come to power by misusing EVMs,” he said.
Kharge also claimed that he lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from his home turf, Kalaburagi, owing to vote theft. Elaborating, the veteran Congress leader said that he had won all the elections that he contested prior to 2019. Kharge claimed that he has done a lot for Kalaburagi, including putting efforts into bringing an amendment to Article 371J.
“People of Kalaburagi have high regard for me.When this is the case, the margin of my defeat in 5-6 Assembly seats in the Kalaburagi LS constituency was more than 20,000. It clearly shows that I was defeated due to vote theft,” he said. Kharge said that another reason for his suspicion of vote theft in the Kalaburagi LS seat was PM Narendra Modi’s “Kharge saab bahut baar jeete” remark in Parliament.
On the GST reforms, the Congress chief said that his party has been fighting for these reforms for the last eight years, but the Centre did not acknowledge the party’s demands. “We do not know the reason for the GST reforms at this moment. From our point of view, GST reforms are beneficial for the poor. I do not see this as politics. I will not criticise. We are always pro-people,” he added.
On the Modi government’s foreign policy, he said, “China has been neglected for so long. Now, Modi has gone to the same country. When India faced problems, we (Congress) gave a message that we are all one. We supported the Centre even during the Pahalgam attack. But the BJP always says, ‘Modi Hai, Modi Hai,’” Kharge added.