New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday predicted a comfortable victory for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), saying its government was set to be formed at the Centre. Modi’s farewell is done and decided, he remarked.
He was addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief and former UP chief minister in Lucknow. He also announced that the INDIA alliance government will provide 10 kg of free foodgrains instead of the present 5 kg by the Modi government.
He said, there was a lot of anger and resentment among the people and this was being reflected in the voting patterns. He said, the results will be interesting as people realise that these elections were very important to save the constitution, people’s rights and reservation.
The Congress president said, it was a fight between two ideologies. He said, on the one hand there was an alliance of pro-poor people who are protecting the rights of the downtrodden like the Dalits, the backwards and the Adivasis and on the other hand there was the BJP which was only protecting and promoting the rich.
He pointed out, while the BJP fights in the name of religion, the INDIA bloc was fighting for people to get enough meals, have jobs and control over rising prices. He observed, there was a growing gap between the rich and the poor and it needed to be bridged.
Lashing out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accusing him of speaking lies and abusing the Congress and its leaders, he asked, why was he not asking for votes in the name of development, if he had really done so much work.
He pointed out how he was talking about things, which are unbecoming of a Prime Minister. If people still think he is intelligent and statesman-like, then it is really a misfortune for the country, he observed, while pointing out, Modi never talks about economic, social or educational issues but things like mutton, chicken, beef and mangalsutra.
Kharge also questioned the claims of the Prime Minister of providing free food to 80 crore poor Indians. He said, Modi was providing 5 kg rice and it was because of the Food Security Act brought in by the UPA government. He announced that once the INDIA bloc forms the government, it will provide 10 kgs of foodgrains instead of five kgs to the poor every month.
Akhilesh Yadav claimed the BJP's strength in the ongoing polls will be limited to 140. He referred to the exam leaks over the years as a BJP tactic to deny them the employment. He said every section of society in the country is, therefore, wiping out the BJP committing only likes over the past 10 years.
