New Delhi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that if Congress comes to power, it will run a bulldozer on Ram Mandir is completely false. He said that Congress respects religion and everyone’s faith. Kharge also said that Congress was in power for 55 years, but never stopped anyone from worshipping or snatched anyone’s mangalsutra, as claimed by the Prime Minister.
In an interview to PTI-Bhasha, Kharge said, “This is completely false. They talk like this. No one from our party has spoken like this nor is it written in the Constitution. We respect all sects and religions and respect the faith of all.” He also said that helping the poor of any community is not appeasement, as alleged by the BJP.
Kharge said, “People were living happily earlier, but BJP and Modi ji have divided people for votes. They do such things for votes and accuse others of using bulldozers.” He also accused the BJP of spreading false propaganda against the Congress every time it brought schemes to help the poor during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
He said that the Prime Minister is now accusing Congress of doing politics of free gifts. The Congress President said that when the party first brought MNREGA, Food Security Act, Rural Health Mission, BJP opposed them. He also cited land reforms and nationalization of banks which the BJP had opposed.
He said, “Whenever we started schemes for the poor, they criticized it. Now we are talking about giving double ration to the poor.” Rejecting the allegations of appeasement politics, the Congress President said, “Stopping injustice on any community is not appeasement. They (BJP) try to create polarization during elections. “Whatever we do they try to present as appeasement.” According to him, “I would only say that BJP does politics of appeasement. Giving something to the poor or giving scholarships to the poor, providing education through special schools for Muslims cannot be called appeasement.” Kharge says that increasing the reservation limit means giving reservation to the poor.
He said, “There is 69 percent reservation in Tamil Nadu. Is it for Muslims? We are saying that we will increase the limit like Tamil Nadu. How do Muslims come into this? We want to provide reservation for economically weaker sections and do Muslims not fall in it?” The Congress President said, “They try to create misunderstanding about everything and whatever we do, everyone will get it. This will be for everyone.” Justifying the demand for conducting caste census, Kharge said that this is to ensure that something is given to those communities which have been left out in the past.
Kharge said, “Wherever the poor need help, the backward need help, we will make a policy for them. Just like Jawaharlal Nehru made five-year plans, the same will have to be given to those who have not got the benefit of development till now. We are not snatching anyone’s rights.” He said, “Earlier we had promised to give Rs 72,000 per year and now we are saying that we will give Rs 1 lakh each to the poor. Congress has done this in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.”