BJP does only divisive politics, says Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge

He accused PM Modi of not keeping up his promises that included providing jobs to the youth

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday flagged off the party’s 1,200-km Bharat Jodo Yatra in Bihar while accusing the BJP of “divisive politics”. He also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not keeping up his promise to the nation.

“To make people fight against each other in the name of religion is the work of the BJP. They (BJP) do only divisive politics. Today whatever is being seen in the country is done by the Congress party, not by the BJP. There are lakhs of jobs in the country but the Modi government is not giving jobs to the youth of the country,” said Mr. Kharge while addressing a public rally at Banka. He further said, “Earlier, PM Modi had said that he would bring back black money to the country from foreign shores to provide two crore jobs every year and control inflation, but he did just the opposite. The whole country is today affected by unemployment and inflation.”

“Prime Minister Modi always asks what the Congress party has done in the last 70 years, I would say if the Congress had not done anything, you (PM Modi) would not have become the Prime Minister of the country”, Mr. Kharge said while taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added, “The Congress saved democracy, the Republic of India and its Constitution.” “Everything was done under the five-year plan by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, for the development of the country,” he said.

“Who has built the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the IITs, the engineering colleges in the country,” he asked and himself replied, “All are of the country and built by the respective Congress governments,” amid thunderous applause by party supporters, workers and leaders of the party who had gathered braving severe cold sweeping across the State.

The newly appointed Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Kishore Jha, Madan Mohan Jha, Asit Nath Tiwari and others from the State, along with party leaders from Jharkhand like Subodh Kant Sahay too, were present on the occasion. The Congress yatra will cover 17 districts in 60 days and culminate at Bodh Gaya where party leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to address a public meeting. “The party leader Sonia Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi may address a public meeting when the yatra crosses Patna, the State capital,” said a senior State party leader. “There is lot of excitement among the people about this yatra and we’ll certainly dethrone the BJP-led government at the Centre in the upcoming 2024 general election,” State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said. Mr. Singh has been camping in Banka and other adjoining districts for the last several days, appealing to the people to join the meeting and padyatra.