Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inciting voters and urged the Election Commission to take action after Modi repeatedly claimed that the opposition INDIA bloc would “run a bulldozer over Ram Temple if voted to power.”
“We have not used bulldozers to date… The Election Commission should take action against those who make instigating speeches. The Prime Minister himself is doing it. He is provoking people. After our government comes, everything will be protected as per our Constitution, we will follow the Constitution,” Kharge stated.
At a press conference in Mumbai alongside NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Kharge criticized the Election Commission’s decision to assign party symbols to factions supporting the BJP rather than to the “real parties” in Maharashtra.
“The illegal ‘Mahayuti’ government of Maharashtra was formed on the basis of betrayal and conspiracy, and the Prime Minister himself is supporting it and his rallies are also being held in Maharashtra. Wherever he goes, he tries to create a rift among the people,” he alleged.
Kharge asserted, “The party symbol was taken away from the real parties and given to the parties supporting BJP. This is the decision of the court, ECI, but everything happens on the instructions of Modi ji.”
Expressing confidence in the INDIA bloc’s prospects in Maharashtra, Kharge predicted a landslide victory. “INDIA bloc will win 46 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. People are saying this themselves. Our alliance will win maximum seats and defeat BJP,” he claimed.
Addressing the alliance dynamics between the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress – who are allies against BJP in Delhi but competitors in Punjab – Kharge said, “This is a democracy, it is not autocracy. We will do whatever has to be done to defeat BJP.”
The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which includes six constituencies in Mumbai, is scheduled for May 20. Other constituencies in Maharashtra participating in this phase include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, and Thane.
