Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge
Credit: DH Photo
Latur: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday termed the BJP-led Mahayuti as a government of thieves and called for its defeat at the hustings on November 20.
Campaigning in Latur, Kharge accused the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS, of having no role in the freedom struggle and the country's unity.
In a scathing attack, Kharge criticised the ruling party over the slogans—“Batenge to Katenge” and “Ek Hai to Safe Hai”, describing them as divisive.
He targeted PM Narendra Modi who had questioned the waving of the book of Constitution by Congress leaders.
"Congress leaders laid down their lives to keep the country and all communities united. On the contrary, the BJP and RSS had no contribution to the freedom movement and unity of the country," Kharge said, slamming 'Batenge to Katenge' and Ek Hai to Safe Hai' slogans being raised by UP CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi, respectively.
Mahayuti is a government of thieves. The assembly elections are an opportunity to teach traitors a lesson, Kharge said.
Addressing the rally, Kharge raised issues ranging from suicide by farmers in Maharashtra and consolidation of wealth to target the NDA government.
Kharge said the caste census, which Congress promised in its poll manifesto, aims to foster unity and equal distribution of benefits for all sections. "The caste census is not for dividing people," he added.
"On average, seven farmers commit suicide daily in Maharashtra, taking the toll to 2,336 over the last six months. These figures were quoted by the ruling Mahayuti in the state legislature. Despite these devastating figures, the government has remained silent. This is a government of lies," Kharge added.
He exhorted people to dislodge the "50 khoke, anti-welfare" (moneybags) government from power.
The Congress chief claimed 62 per cent of India's wealth is concentrated in the lands of 5 per cent of the population.
"Only 3 per cent of wealth is held by 50 per cent of the poor. This is the government of Modi, (Devendra) Fadnavis, (CM) Eknath Shinde and (Deputy CM) Ajit Pawar,'' he said.
Kharge said Modi should speak about his performance and work ideology and refrain from spreading lies.
"Modi lied about depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of common people (after repatriating black money stashed in foreign banks ahead of the 2014 polls) and creating 2 crore jobs a year," the Congress veteran said.
He listed the Right to Education Act, MNREGA and the Right to Food Act as achievements of Congress governments.
"The BJP made only false promises whereas the Congress governments had worked for setting up factories," Kharge added.
Holding a copy of the Constitution book at the rally, Kharge invoked B R Ambedkar's contribution to society and equality.
"Only Ambedkar's constitution guarantees protection to all sections of society. Modi says Congress is flaunting a blank copy of the Constitution. Is it blank?" he asked.
"Modi says the red colour of the Constitution reference book symbolises Naxalism and calls the opposition Urban Naxals. Modi gave the same copy (of the Constitution) to then President Ram Nath Kovind. Should we call them urban naxals?" Kharge asked.
Kharge recalled the contribution of the late chief minister and Congress stalwart Vilasrao Deshmukh, who hailed from Latur, in taking Maharashtra forward.
The Congress chief endorsed Vilasrao's sons and sitting MLAs Amit and Dheeraj, who are in the fray from Latur district.
Due to Amit Deshmukh, Latur received development projects of Rs 2,400 crore, he said.
"Vilasarao Deshmukh made strides in Marathwada's development, prioritising water solutions that transformed Latur and Marathwada into prosperous areas. However, under the current Central government, farmers are facing serious issues with fair pricing for soybean and cotton," Kharge said.
He said farmers in the Marathwada region are not receiving the right price for their produce.
"The Modi government has raised prices across sectors, increased inflation, and taxed almost everything. Why didn't they raise the rates of soybean and cotton?" Kharge questioned.
He targeted Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis over rates for crops.
"While in the opposition, Fadnavis had demanded a price of Rs 6,000 for soybean. He is in power now but farmers are not getting even the minimum support price of Rs 4,800," Kharge alleged.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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