Kharge accuses PM Modi of terrorising political parties, people by misusing govt machinery
Chennai (PTI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "terrorising" political parties and people by misusing government machinery and central agencies to stifle the opposition.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai alongside AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, Kharge initially referred to the Prime Minister as a "terrorist" while criticising the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP.
However, when pressed by reporters to clarify the context of the remark, the Congress chief stated he meant the Prime Minister was "terrorising" the democratic fabric of the country.
"He is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist (in the literal sense). Terrorising this... he is misusing his power and government machinery and abusing, malingering opposition parties," Kharge said.
The Congress chief alleged that the Election Commission has become an "extension of the BJP office" and accused the Prime Minister of violating the Model Code of Conduct in the final stages of the election campaign. He further claimed that central agencies like the CBI, ED, and Income Tax department were being deployed as tools of intimidation against political workers.
Kharge also hit out at the Centre over the Constitution Amendment Bill that sought to facilitate women's reservation by expanding the Lok Sabha and linking delimitation with it. He accused the Prime Minister of misleading the public by claiming the opposition defeated the Women's Reservation Bill, noting that it was passed in 2023 with unanimous support.
"If he truly intends to implement it, he can provide 33 per cent reservation to women within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats. Why is he not giving it?" Kharge argued.
He warned that the government’s plan for delimitation would "punish" progressive states, particularly in South India, for their success in population control. "They intended to deny the democratic rights of South Indian states, North Eastern states, and progressive states. Modi and Shah want to punish these states for their progress," he said.
Reaffirming the strength of the DMK-Congress alliance, both Kharge and Venugopal dismissed reports of a rift between Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, describing them as "like brothers."
Kharge reiterated the alliance's "key commitments" for the state, including Rs 2,000 monthly assistance for women and senior citizens, Rs 2,500 monthly for families for food security, and a promise to fill all government vacancies within 300 days.
He also criticised the Election Commission, alleging it was acting "like an extension of the BJP office" by failing to take note of what he termed the Prime Minister’s "violation of the model code of conduct”.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
