Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2024 | BJP and Congress engaged in a war of words

It all started with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a rally in Jammu on Sunday, saying that he will not die till Modi is out of power.

New Delhi: The BJP and the Congress were engaged in a war of words after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a rally in Jammu on Sunday, said that he will not die till Modi is out of power.

Union home minister Amit Shah, calling the comments “disgraceful” said that Congress is constantly thinking of the prime minister. 

In a post on X, Shah said that in his speech on Sunday, Kharge “outperformed himself, his leaders and his party” by being “absolutely distasteful and disgraceful”.

“In a bitter display of spite, he unnecessarily dragged PM Modi into his personal health matters by saying that he would die only after removing PM Modi from power. It just shows how much hate and fear these Congress people have of PM Modi, that they are thinking of him constantly,” Shah said. 

Shah then went on to wish Kharge a long and healthy life. “As for the health of Mr. Kharge Ji, Modi Ji prays, I pray and we all pray that he lives a long, healthy life. May he continue to live for many years and may he live to see the creation of a Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he further posted. 

On Sunday, in a rally at Jammu’s Jasrota, Kharge faced a health issue while giving a speech, but soon recovered. “I am 83 years old. I am not going to die so early. I will stay alive till PM Modi is removed from power. I wanted to talk. But due to dizziness, I have sat down. Please pardon me,” he said. 

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, too, rebuked Kharge. Responding to Shah’s post, Sitharaman posted: “The leadership of @INCIndia never loses any opportunity to display their hate towards @narendramodi ji. This speech of @kharge ji is one such instance. We join in praying for the long life of Congress president @kharge ji. We wish he lives to see #ViksitBharat India @2047.”

BJP sources have said that after the health scare, the prime minister placed a call to Kharge and inquired about his health. 

On Monday, Kharge hit back, saying that the home minister should focus on Manipur. “Home Minister Amit Shah should focus on serious issues like Manipur, census and caste census. Your government’s own survey says that 92% of the employees cleaning urban sewers and septic tanks come from SC, ST, OBC categories,” he posted. 

Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.