BJP wants 'one nation one party': Goa Congress chief
Panaji, Jul 10: Reacting to ten out of 15 party MLAs joining the ruling BJP, Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar said the BJP's goal was to create "one nation one party" situation in the country.
A group of ten Congress MLAs in Goa led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar merged with the ruling BJP Wednesday evening, increasing the saffron party's strength to 27 in the 40-seat house.
In a statement, Chodankar alleged that Congress MLAs joined the BJP after falling prey to blackmailing or allurements.
Instead of "one nation one election" (which prime minister Narendra Modi is advocating), what the BJP really wanted was "one nation one party", he said.
The BJP has "exposed its intense insecurity" about its coalition partner by poaching Congress legislators, Chodankar said.
Despite having enough numbers in the Assembly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's "unethical act" of luring Congress MLAs displayed his fear of facing a united opposition in the upcoming assembly session, he said.
"The entire episode reflects the utter misuse of power adopted by BJP which is full of arrogance and was finding itself on a sticky wicket after certain MLAs within its camp were unhappy with the government," Chodankar said.
It was also a lesson for alliance partners who went against the mandate in 2017 (when the Congress was the single largest party but failed to form a government) and installed the BJP in power, he said.
The development will not go down well with people who will defeat the BJP in the next polls, he claimed.
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Kharge expresses regret over 'illiterate' remark, says he has highest of respect for Gujaratis
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate", and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest of respect for the people of the state.
In a post on X, the Congress president said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.
"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect."
Kharge on Sunday had sparked a row during his Assembly poll campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "fooled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the same time, Kharge said neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated".
"Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," the Congress chief had said.
He made the remark while alleging that both Modi and Vijayan were following the same path, with no difference between them except the parties they lead.
The BJP on Tuesday had demanded an apology from Kharge for his remarks, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."
Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.
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