Rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caim that the Congress is controlled by ‘urban naxals,’ party president and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of being a party of terrorists who are responsible for lynchings and heinous crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and tribals.
“Progressive people are being called Urban Naxals… this is his (PM Modi’s) habit. His party (BJP) itself is a terrorist party. They engage in lynching, assault people, urinate in the mouths of Scheduled Castes members, and rape tribal people. They also support those who commit these acts, and then they blame others,” Kharge said.
“Wherever his government is in power, atrocities are committed against people from Scheduled Castes, especially tribals. Then he talks about these atrocities… It is his government; he can control it,” the Congress president further stated.
The statement of the senior Congress leader comes amidst a heated political climate, with the grand old party pushing back against allegations made by the BJP.
On September 28, while addressing a rally in Jammu, PM Modi came down heavily on the Congress. The Prime Minister said that the opposition party is completely under the control of “Urban Naxals,” who use foreign infiltrators as “vote banks” and mock their own citizens.
“Congress has never truly honoured the sacrifices of our brave soldiers. Today, the party is hijacked by Urban Naxal sympathizers, who welcome foreign infiltrators as ‘vote banks’ while mocking the sufferings of our own citizens,” said PM Modi.
He further claimed that the grand old party, along with the National Conference and PDP, has always done injustice to Jammu and is willing to do anything for appeasement.
“Today, Congress-NC and PDP are enraged by the changes taking place in Jammu and Kashmir. They don’t like your development. These people say that if their government is formed, they will bring back the old system. They will reintroduce the same discriminatory regime, whose biggest victim has been Jammu. Congress, National Conference, and PDP have always wronged Jammu and are willing to do anything for appeasement. You should listen to their speeches to see how they attack Dogra heritage and make allegations to defame Maharaja Hari Singh,” the Prime Minister stated.
Responding to Kharge’s statement, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla trained his guns at the Congress, saying that the Congress has made it a habit and they have always used such kind of language to abuse PM Modi, and this only shows the character of the grand old party.
“Crores of people have voted for BJP in 2014, 19 and now in 2024. This is an insult to the people’s wisdom, but Congress has made it a habit. They put Parivar Tantra about everything else. They have doubted the results of the EVM in Haryana. They have blamed the EVM, the Election Commission, and then the people. They have called the public ‘Rakshasi’… They are saying that the people have elected terrorists. They have always used such kind of language, abusing PM Modi… They are abusing the OBC Samaj and the people… This shows the character and the DNA of Congress… They gave the reservation of SC/ST from Jamia and AMU to Muslims… Congress is the most anti-Dalit party,” Poonawalla said.
Meanwhile, Kharge also slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat over his remarks on the condition of minorities in Bangladesh, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge accusing him of supporting a party “that wants disunity in the country.”
“You (Bhagwat) are the one who supports the party (BJP), which wants disunity in the country. It starts with changing the Constitution, ending reservations, and then speaking different things about Muslims,” Kharge said.
