BJP is 'party of terrorists': Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge
BJP calls Kharge's 'terrorists' barb his own reflection on Congress
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Oct 12: The BJP on Saturday hit back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for calling the former a "party of terrorists", saying the opposition party which always supported terrorists is now levelling allegations against it.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress which stood for orthodox Islamic practices like triple talaq, halala and hijab is now making all kinds of baseless remarks about the Hindu society.
This is the design of the urban Naxal mindset that Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about, Trivedi said.
Kharge had earlier called the BJP a "party of terrorists", as he hit back at Modi over his recent remarks that the opposition party was being run by a "gang of urban Naxals".
Union minister Giriraj Singh claimed that Kharge's remarks show his reflections on his own party as it was the Congress which always supported terrorists.
ALSO READ: Cong analysing Haryana assembly poll loss, booth wise report sought: Kharge
Another Union minister, Pralhad Joshi, claimed Kharge "mistakenly" called the BJP a party of terrorists as a slip of tongue.
Taking to X, Joshi said, "It was Sonia Gandhi who shed tears for terrorists who died in Batla House. It was Congress which went soft on Afzal Guru. It was Congress which repealed POTA in 2004. It was their PM Manmohan Singh who shook hands with separatist militants."
Joshi also said it was under Modi that terrorist activities saw a significant decline.
BJP spokesperson C R Kesavan said Kharge's comments have exposed Congress' "prejudiced and toxic mindset and ideology of divide and rule", similar to that of the colonial British.
"The nation should not forget how the Congress equated terrorism with the Hindu community in 2013. It was no less then a Union minister in the Congress-led UPA government, Sushil Kumar Shinde, who derogatorily and demeaningly talked about Hindu terrorism," he said.
Mallikarjun Kharge mistakenly called BJP as Terrorist party by slip of tongue, however it was Sonia Gandhi who shed tears for terrorists who died in Batla House.
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) October 12, 2024
It was congress which was soft on Afzal Guru.
It was congress who repealed POTA in 2004.
It was their PM Manmohan…
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
