Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: In a significant statement, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that had the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc got 20 more seats in the Lok Sabha polls, it would have been difficult for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get a third term in office.
Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha praised the role of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, in taking up the cause of protecting the Constitution, which he claimed was facing threats from the BJP and its ideological fountainhead RSS.
"We toured the entire country and appealed to the people to save the Constitution… we came very close… if we had got 20 more seats, you would not have seen the Modi sarkar… that is why I am saying that it is in your hands to save the Constitution,” Kharge said in presence of Rahul Gandhi while addressing a public rally in the Sangli district of poll-bound Maharashtra.
“Modi and the RSS want to change the Constitution made by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,” said Kharge, one of the seniormost politicians and a former minister.
Speaking about the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls, Kharge said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi has emerged to be stronger.
“The ‘asli’ (real) Shiv Sena is with us… the ‘asli’ (real) NCP is with us…the ‘nakli’ (fake) people are on the other side,” he said and sought support of people in the Vidhan Sabha polls to ensure that “progressive thought” prevails over divisive forces.