PM Modi takes aim at Congress over Mallikarjun Kharge’s comment | Latest news India

A comment by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on pre-poll sops sparked a controversy on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a fierce attack, saying the opposition party was “badly exposed” for making “unreal” promises and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) They are demanding an apology ahead of the Maharashtra elections.

Modi’s comments came a day after Kharge advised Congress units to announce polls based on fiscal feasibility, warning that an unplanned approach could lead to financial problems and have a negative impact on future generations. His comments came in the context of reports that Karnataka could overhaul its free bus travel scheme for women.

On Friday, Modi led the BJP in criticizing Kharge and demanded an apology from the Congress for ‘misleading’ people in the name of guarantees.

“The Congress party is realizing the hard way that making unreal promises is easy, but executing them properly is difficult or impossible. Campaign after campaign, they promise things to people that they also know they will never be able to deliver. Now they are barely visible to the people!” he posted on X.

He said the development trajectory and fiscal health of Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana were deteriorating. “Their so-called guarantees remain unfulfilled, which is a terrible deception for the people of these states. The victims of such policies are the poor, youth, farmers and women, who are not only denied the benefits of these promises but also see their existing plans diluted,” he added.

Kharge hit back, accusing the BJP of making false promises and saying that “Modi ki guarantee (Modi’s guarantee) is a cruel joke” against 1.4 billion Indians.

“Lies, deception, counterfeiting, loot and publicity are the five adjectives that best describe your government!…The ‘B’ in BJP stands for treason, while the ‘J’ stands for JUMLA,” he said in a message on X .

The row took place against the backdrop of a heated debate over the announcement of the elections or the sops offered by all parties. Modi has spoken out against what he calls the ‘revdi’ culture (reference to a sweet given out at rallies), while the BJP and Congress have regularly announced sops before every state election. While the Congress announced 200 free power units for all households, free travel for women in public transport buses in Karnataka and monthly financial assistance from ₹2,500 for women, ₹15,000 per hectare for farmers in Telangana every year towards victories. The BJP’s victories in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana were also made possible by key welfare promises.

Even in Maharashtra, which goes to polls on November 20, one part of the campaign is based on welfare and sops, with the BJP underlining programs like Ladki Bahin, which ₹1,500 per month to poor women, and the opposition announces similar guarantees.

On Thursday, Kharge had underlined the importance of fiscal responsibility, saying that if the government fails to fulfill its obligations, it could result in bad reputation and hardship for the community.

“In Maharashtra I have said that they should not announce five, six, ten or twenty guarantees. They must issue guarantees based on the budget. Otherwise, bankruptcy will follow. If there is no money for roads, everyone will turn against you. If this government fails, the future generation will be left with nothing but a bad name. They will have to live in exile for ten years,” he had said.

Kharge’s statement came after reports that the Congress government in Karnataka might revise the Shakti scheme, which guaranteed free bus transport for women and was one of the party’s landmark pre-election announcements during the 2023 Assembly elections.

“You promised five guarantees in Karnataka. Inspired by you, we have pledged five guarantees in Maharashtra. Today you said you would withdraw one of those guarantees. It seems like not all of you read the newspapers but I do, so I am telling you this,” the Congress president said, ahead of the party’s campaign announcements and assurances for Maharashtra expected next week.

Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy later said there would be no review or discontinuation of the scheme.

But on Friday, Modi used the statements to attack the Congress. “The people of the country will have to be vigilant against the Congress-sponsored culture of false promises! We have recently seen how the people of Haryana rejected their lies and preferred a government that is stable, progress-oriented and action-oriented. There is a growing realization across India that a vote for Congress is a vote for non-governance, bad economy and unparalleled loot,” he said, referring to the BJP’s unexpected victory in the recently concluded Haryana elections.

The Prime Minister also leveled specific allegations against the three Congress-ruled states. “In Karnataka, the Congress is more busy with party politics and looting, instead of even bothering with achieving development. Not only that, they will also roll back existing regulations. In Himachal Pradesh, salaries of government employees are not paid on time. In Telangana, farmers are waiting for the relief they were promised. Earlier, in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, they promised certain allowances that were never implemented for five years. There are countless examples of how Congress works,” he said on X.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rebutted Modi, saying the state’s previous BJP government had left Karnataka “plagued with 40% commission corruption” and heavily in debt. “We deliver on every promise we made to our people; all five guarantees are implemented with a budget of more than ₹52,000 crore,” he said.

Contradicting Modi, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is firmly committed to fulfilling our promises and promoting inclusive development across the state. We are proud that we have already fulfilled five of the ten assurances given during the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections.”

The Telangana Congress unit also rejected the Prime Minister’s allegations. “The previous government placed a huge debt burden on our shoulders. Nevertheless, we have implemented guarantees such as crop loan waivers up to maximum ₹2 lakh, free domestic power supply up to 200 units, bonus of ₹500 on MSP of food grains and free travel for women in state-run RTC buses. We will fulfill all other promises. Modi need not worry,” said Congress president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the assurances announced by the opposition alliance in Maharashtra were an attempt to ‘mislead’ the people of the state. “The BJP would like to very respectfully convey to the voters of Maharashtra and Jharkhand that whenever the Congress makes reckless announcements, ask them how they will fulfill them following the advice of the party president,” the BJP leader said.

Himachal Pradesh is undergoing a fiscal crisis attributed to heavy borrowing, rising salary and pension budgets and inadequate revenue generation. It is fair to say that the Congress government has blamed the previous BJP government for this debauchery.