“If you insult us, you will be burnt,” Mallikarjun Kharge warns BJP leaders
Belagavi: In a strict warning to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that those who insult the Congress party and its values will be burnt.
Speaking at the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhana' conference organized by the Congress party at CPED Maidan in Belagavi, Kharge condemned the BJP for its disrespect towards the Constitution and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar ( Chief Architect of the Constitution).
Referring to the BJP leaders, Kharge stated, "Those who burned the Constitution and Ambedkar's portrait at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi should not teach us a lesson. If you insult us, you will be burnt," emphasizing the Congress party's commitment to safeguarding the nation’s democratic values. The Congress leader also criticized the BJP for their changing stance on Ambedkar, noting that it was the Congress party that made Ambedkar the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee.
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Kharge further attacked the BJP for its treatment of Ambedkar’s legacy, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of relegating Ambedkar's statue to a corner of Parliament, contrasting it with Indira Gandhi’s efforts to place it prominently. "Ambedkar’s statue was unveiled in front of Parliament during Indira Gandhi's time. Now Modi has placed Ambedkar's statue in a corner of Parliament," Kharge remarked.
In his speech, Kharge stressed that the Congress, under leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhiji, had supported Ambedkar’s vision, citing his unopposed election to the Rajya Sabha. He also pointed out that the BJP and RSS did not hoist the tricolor in their offices for 50 years, while Rahul Gandhi had led the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, symbolizing the true spirit of the Constitution.
Kharge further criticised the BJP, accusing them of honoring Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, while failing to follow Gandhi’s principles.
He also pointed out the hypocrisy of the current government for failing to address the struggles of farmers, laborers, and the poor in the country. "The government is not worried about the farmers' crops, nor has there been any thought of reducing fertilizer prices," he lamented.
The Senior Congress leader also spoke on the sacrifices of previous Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh, highlighting the pivotal laws brought during their tenures, including the RTI, Food Security Act, and Forest Rights. "Has the NDA government given any program for the poor?" he questioned.
"If Congress is strong anywhere in the country, it is only in Karnataka," he asserted.
Furthermore he praised Priyanka Gandhi as a powerful woman who, like Rani Channamma of Belagavi, is fighting for the country’s self-respect.
Prominent Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, Priyanka Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, and Randeep Singh Surjewala, along with several ministers, MLAs, and senior party officials, attended the event.
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Eight fruit vendors killed, ten injured as truck falls into 50-metre deep valley in Yellapura
Yellapura (PTI): At least eight persons were killed and 10 others sustained injuries when the truck in which they were travelling fell into a 50-metre-deep valley near here in the wee hours of Wednesday, a police officer said.
The victims, all fruit vendors, started from Savanur and were heading towards the Yellapura fair to sell fruits. They were traveling on the Savanur - Hubballi road when the accident occurred in a forested section, the Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M Narayana said.
"Around 5:30 am, the truck driver in a bid to give side to another vehicle went to the extreme left and fell into an about 50 metre deep valley," Narayana told PTI.
He added that there was no protection wall in the road in the valley.
"Eight persons were killed on the spot and two got critical injuries. The injured have been shifted to the KIMS Hospital in Hubballi," the officer said.
