Says many Congress leaders died for country’s unity
Nagpur: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday asserted that several leaders from his party have laid down their lives to unite the country, countering Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan.
Those who want the country to remain united will never pass such divisive remarks, he said.
Addressing a press conference in Nagpur city of Maharashtra, where assembly elections will be held on November 20, he asked the BJP to decide between Yogi’s slogan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unity message of “Ek hain, toh safe hain”.
The senior Congress leader accused the BJP and RSS of provoking people to gain votes. Citing a newspaper article, Kharge said he read that RSS favoured the slogan of ‘batenge toh katenge’ (if divided, we perish) being raised by the UP CM.
“First, you decide between yourselves whose slogan is to be followed – Yogi ji’s or Modi ji’s,” he said, and added, “BJP leaders give inciting speeches and speak lies and divert people’s attention from core issues.”
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for equating a “red book” of the Constitution with “urban Naxalism” and said the PM gave a similar copy in 2017 to then President Ram Nath Kovind.
Addressing a press conference here after launching the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi ‘s (MVA) manifesto for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, Kharge also said his party’s demand for a caste census is not to divide people, but to understand how various communities are placed at present so that they can get more benefits.
Notably, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was trying to seek support from “urban Naxals and anarchists” by holding a “red book” in his hand.
Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been displaying an abridged version of the Constitution in a red cover during his rallies.
Kharge said the red handbook was only used for reference and it was not the entire Constitution.
‘Even Narendra Modi gave a similar copy to then President Ram Nath Kovind on July 26, 2017,’ the Congress leader said displaying a picture of the two leaders.
Kharge also displayed a red book of the Constitution, saying it was not blank as was being projected by Modi and the BJP.
‘It is necessary to enroll him in a primary school again,’ Kharge said targeting the prime minister.
The Congress leader described the MVA’s manifesto as all inclusive and participatory.
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