Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Congress party on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), accusing the country's ruling BJP of deliberately spreading confusion and angst among salaried professionals and the middle class over Rahul Gandhi's supposed remarks about a wealth redistribution exercise in respect to the grand old party's manifesto for the ongoing Lok Sabha election. In a complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, All India Professionals' Congress head Praveen Chakravarty cited "a wilful and deliberate attempt to stoke confusion" with the help of "misinformation and lies" and sought action against the BJP for the same.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a separate front of attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter's remarks, including the one wherein he said that the party's manifesto "bears the imprint of the Muslim League". Taking a jibe at PM Modi, Kharge further made an apparent reference to the contentious remark delivered by the Prime Minister on Sunday, saying he was ready to explain the Congress's manifesto to him. On the other hand, PM Modi alleged that the Congress party tried to provide reservations to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh in 2004 by reducing the quota earmarked for Scheduled Castes(SC) and Scheduled Tribes(STs).
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- Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty moved a complaint before the EC, alleging that the BJP was misrepresenting the remark made by Rahul Gandhi on April 6 after the launch of his party's manifesto. Chakravarty claimed that Rahul spoke about the Congress party's stance on the equitable development of the nation.
"This message has been deliberately twisted and propagated. I bring to your attention one such incident as proof," Chakravarty said in the complaint.
- Mallikarjun Kharge termed PM Modi "a 100 per cent liar", claiming that the Prime Minister made various false promises in the past. The Congress president also raked up the alleged promise about every Indian getting Rs 15 lakh in their bank account and the creation of two crore jobs.
- "PM Modi says the Congress Manifesto is a Muslim League manifesto. I request him, if he gives me time, I will take our manifesto and explain it to him. Where are we saying that something is only for Muslims? We are doing things for all. Our manifesto is for the poor, farmers, youth women and everybody. He just wants to divide the society and keep talking about Hindu-Muslim," the Congress president was quoted as saying by NDTV.
- While addressing a public gathering in Rajasthan's Tonk, PM Modi said that the right to reservation was given by Babasaheb Ambedkar to Dalits, backward classes, and Adivasis, but the Congress and the INDIA bloc wanted to give it to Muslims based on religion.
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"The Congress party has played with the Constitution of this country. When the Constitution was drafted, reservation based on religion was opposed so that SC, ST, and OBCs could get protection. In his speech, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh said that Muslims have the first right to the country's resources. This was Manmohan Singh's statement. Congress' thinking has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics," PM Modi said.
(With inputs from agencies)
The Congress president was speaking in Kerala's Wayanad.
In a strong riposte to PM Narendra Modi's twin jabs of a Muslim League imprint on the party's manifesto and an alleged promise of "wealth redistribution to infiltrators", Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said the PM should stop his attempts at dividing society and grant him time so that he can explain the document's contents.
In a series of speeches at election rallies this month, the PM had said that the promises made in Congress' manifesto were reminiscent of the thoughts that the Muslim League had before Independence. In a rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, PM Modi had also given rise to a controversy by claiming that the Congress intended to seize people's property and redistribute it to Muslims. "They will not even leave your 'mangalsutra'," he had said.
Addressing a gathering in Kerala's Wayanad - Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's constituency - on Tuesday, Mr Kharge took all the allegations head-on.
"PM Modi says the Congress Manifesto is a Muslim League manifesto. I request him, if he gives me time, I will take our manifesto and explain it to him. Where are we saying that something is only for Muslims? We are doing things for all. Our manifesto is for the poor, farmers, youth women and everybody. He just wants to divide the society and keep talking about Hindu-Muslim," the Congress president said.