NEW DELHI, July 19: the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday spoke about the difference between the two main political rivals in the country, the BJP and the Congress. The people in the Congress “perform” while those in “Modi’s BJP only talk.”
His reference was to the performance of the Congress government in Karnataka which has been accused of non-performance by the BJP claiming that fund constraints had forced the Siddaramaiah government to stall even the routine works.
Addressing the Sadhana Samavesha programme by the Karnataka government in Mysuru, Mr Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ‘murdering’ the Constitution while asserting that people of India would not allow the BJP and RSS to alter it.
The convention was for the inauguration of and laying foundation stones for development projects worth over ₹2,500 crore for Mysuru. “BJP and RSS are talking about amending or rewriting the Constitution. You may try how much ever you want, the people of this country will not allow you to change the Constitution. He also cautioned the people in the country on Modi government’s design. “If you (people) allow them to change the Constitution, you will not have any rights,” Kharge said.
“Mr Modi, you became the Chief Minister and Prime Minister because of the Constitution. You bowed to the Constitution before entering Parliament, but Mr Modi is today murdering the same Constitution. Every day, BJP and RSS are making attempts to remove this Constitution,” he added. During his address, Mr Kharge also hit out at the PM for visiting 42 countries, but not the conflict-ridden Manipur.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar and several ministers of the government of Karnataka participated in the event. Mr Siddaramaiah said the ‘Sadhana Samavesha’ was aimed at countering BJP’s misinformation campaign. Mr Siddaramaiah sought to make it clear that the event was not a show of strength. “The event is an attempt to inform the people of the State about the achievements of the State government in the backdrop of false propaganda spread by the BJP,” the Chief Minister said.
Referring to the launch of schemes worth ₹2,658 crore at the ‘Sadhana Samavesha’, the Chief Minister asked whether they would hold such a function for nothing. Further, he asked the BJP to list out its contribution in the development of Mysuru. Accusing the BJP of spreading false information that the State Government did not have funds to implement the guarantee schemes, Mr Siddaramaiah wondered whether the government will be able to spend ₹2,568 crore for just one city if it was bankrupt.
Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Saturday accused the Lieutenant Governor administration of blocking their “peaceful protests” in Srinagar over the restoration of “full Statehood” to Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress leaders alleged the security forces blocked the gates of the Congress headquarters in Srinagar and allegedly detained several leaders, including elected legislators like Irfan Hafiz Lone, who were travelling from different districts to attend the protest rally.
The Congress supporters were seen raising slogans ‘Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq’, ‘Hamari Pehchan, Hamara Haq’ and ‘Hamara Pani, Hamara Haq’ slogans, as they made a bid to march towards the city centre Lal Chowk. The bid, however, was foiled by the police manning the gates of the Congress office in Srinagar.
“The J&K Police halted our peaceful march, blocked us inside the office, where we were demanding the restoration of Statehood, a right unjustly taken from us,” J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra said. He described the police’s move to restrict and detain the party leaders from joining the protest march as “heavy-handed and undemocratic use of police power”.
“Our voices will not deter us. Statehood was promised on the floor of Parliament, and the Honourable Supreme Court directed its restoration. Yet, the L-G administration continues to obstruct our legitimate demand. We will not be silenced. Our resolve is stronger than ever, and no force can stop the people of Jammu and Kashmir from reclaiming what is rightfully ours,” Mr Karra said.
Referring to the recent joint letter written by Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Statehood demand, Mr Karra said, “We decided to intensify our ongoing movement in Srinagar and Jammu. As part of this intensification, we made the decision to launch a ‘Chalo Srinagar, Chalo Jammu’ campaign on July 19 in Srinagar and July 20 in Jammu. Following that, we gave a call for ‘Chalo Delhi’ on July 21, under which our senior leadership will go there to demand immediate restoration of statehood,” Mr Karra said.
