Last Updated: January 06, 2023, 09:20 AM IST
File photo of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. (PTI)
Kharge was in Bihar’s Banka district to flag off a more than 1,000 km long march, inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday hit out at the BJP and said that it was the Congress that had nurtured democracy for the last 70 years and made it possible for Prime Minister Modi to achieve his post despite his humble origins.
Kharge was in Bihar’s Banka district to flag off a more than 1,000 km long march, inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra”. The march, which would cover a major part of the state, was launched close to the “Mandar” hills, about 250 km from the state capital, which finds a mention in Hindu mythology.
Kharge, who was visiting Bihar for the first time after getting elected to the top post of his party, slammed the BJP government at the Centre for “failure to provide employment to the youth” and diverting public attention with “communally charged rhetoric”.
“It is often being alleged that in the 70 years that it ruled the country after Independence, the Congress achieved nothing. It was the Congress which nurtured democracy, making it possible for Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister despite his humble origins. A poor man’s son like me is heading the party today,” said Kharge.
Kharge further said that the BJP had made no contribution to the freedom struggle of the country and none of its workers ever went to jail. “BJP didn’t give freedom to the country, none of their workers went to jail. Congress granted independence to India and contributed to its development,” Kharge said.
The Congress president spoke in presence of a number of senior leaders, including the recently-appointed state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh. On the inaugural day of the march, participants covered a distance of seven and a half kilometers on foot before the night halt.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla hit back at Kharge on Twitter. Sharing a screenshot of an article that quoted Kharge saying that the Congress had saved the constitution for 70 years, Poonawalla wrote, “Yes, especially during the Emergency !! Congress was saving the Constitution!!”
(With PTI inputs)
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