Patna, Sep 24: Setting the tone for the Bihar poll campaign, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the BJP has “mentally retired” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and considers him to be a “liability”, while claiming that the upcoming assembly elections will mark the beginning of the end of the Modi government’s “corrupt rule” at the Centre.
In his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, Kharge launched a frontal attack on the BJP over a host of issues such as alleged “vote chori, economic slowdown, unemployment, social polarisation and targeting and weakening of autonomous constitutional institutions”.
Kharge also made an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s recent statements and actions and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Our problems at the international level are the result of the diplomatic failure of Narendra Modi and his government. The very friends whom the prime minister boasts about as ‘my friends’ are today putting India in numerous troubles,” Kharge said.
Targeting the BJP and the Election Commission over the issue of “vote chori” and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Kharge said when the voters list is being officially “tampered” with, it was essential to hold the extended CWC meeting in Bihar, the mother of democracy, and reaffirm our pledge to protect this country’s democracy and Constitution.
He recalled that exactly 85 years ago, the first Constituent Assembly proposal was introduced at the Ramgarh AICC session.
Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr B R Ambedkar, and members of the Constituent Assembly together granted the citizens of the country the right of “one person, one vote”, he noted.
Asserting that the foundation of democracy is fair and transparent elections, Kharge said serious questions are being raised today about the fairness and transparency of the Election Commission itself.
Instead of answering questions on the revelations from various states, the EC is demanding affidavits from us, Kharge said.
Following the example of Bihar, a conspiracy is now being hatched across the country to remove the votes of millions of people, the Congress president said, referring to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Vote theft means theft of rations, pensions, medicine, children’s scholarships, and exam fees belonging to Dalits, tribals, backward classes, extremely backward classes, minorities, the weak, and the poor, he said.
The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ raised awareness among the people of Bihar, and they openly came out in support of Rahul Gandhi, he said.
Kharge then alleged that the country is grappling with many problems such as economic slowdown, unemployment, social polarisation, and the targeting and weakening of autonomous constitutional institutions. (PTI)
