Kharge accuses the prime minister of dividing people in the name of religion

Jaipur: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "controls" everything - from ports to airports - and he is working towards making people"slaves".

Addressing a public meeting in Anupgarh in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan ahead of the November 25 assembly polls, Kharge said the Congress will work to address people's issues and concerns and deliver on the promises made to them.

"The prime minister is also touring this area. He will come to Hanumangarh...where we go, we do not get permission to fly. That means everything is under his control - air, land, ports and airports," he said, without elaborating.

"They have even started the work of making people slaves, but we are not afraid. We will fight and solve whatever problems the poor are facing, no matter how much they try to scare us," he said.

Prime Minister Modi addressed two election rallies in Rajasthan on Monday.

Kharge also targeted PM Modi over the allegation that he had abused Modi's father.

Modi had alleged in a rally in Nagaur on Saturday that Kharge had abused his father.

"I did not take his father's name. There is no use of talking about those who...are not in politics. Modi said that 'I did not spare his father' but I did not event mention about him," Kharge said.

The Congress president also took a dig at the prime minister for saying on different occasions that he had sold tea.

Khage accused the prime minister of spreading lies to get sympathy. The Congress leader said that his father was a labourer and that he has come into politics to serve people and not to divide them.

He also accused the prime minister of dividing people in the name of religion.

"You abuse Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and me. You have been working as CM and PM for 23-24 years and still saying you are poor," he said.

Kharge said people should not believe such "hypocrites".

He said that Congress leaders made sacrifices and fought for the country's freedom and asked if any RSS or BJP had made any contribution to the struggle for



independence.

He said Congress leaders sacrifice their lives whereas BJP people take away lives.

"Who killed Mahatma Gandhi? And the people having the mentality of Nathuram Godse are in which party?" he said.

The Congress president said that BJP toppled elected governments in different states, including Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Manipur, Maharashtra. He alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has a big washing machine to "clean up" corrupt MLAs of other parties once they join the BJP.

In another rally in Hanumangarh, Kharge said the BJP did nothing except abusing the Congress and making people fight with each other.

He said B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru framed the Indian Constitution and everyone got equal right to vote.

"There is not even a photo of Ambedkar in his (PM Modi's) office but now he is taking his name because Dalits have now awakened. How many times had Modi celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti before 2014? Even today he does not keep Gandhi's photo above his head in his office. Under compulsion Mahatma Gandhi's photos are put in government offices," he said.

He said that 30 lakh job opportunities are there in the public sector but the Modi government does not want candidates of reserved categories to get the benefit of reservation, therefore such employment opportunities are being reduced by selling PSUs to the private sector.

"You only care about Adani. The big and rich are being made richer and the poor are becoming poorer. We always take care of the poor," he said.

Praising the Ashok Gehlot government, he said that the state government has done excellent work in its five years.

In the rallies, Kharge also mentioned the seven "guarantees" given to the people by the Congress.

The seven "guarantees" or promises include an annual honorarium of Rs 10,000 to women head of family, LPG cylinders for Rs 500 to 1.05 crore families, and law for old pension scheme for government employees.

Polling in Rajasthan will be held on November 25 and votes will be counted on December 3.