People will not tolerate if you belittle oppn, Mallikarjun Kharge tells PM Modi
Raichur (PTI): Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "trivialising" the opposition, and criticised his absence from the all-party meetings convened after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Kharge said the prime minister's absence reflects his scant respect for the opposition.
Addressing a public gathering here, Kharge remarked that the country was going through a difficult phase.
"Recently, Pakistani terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam. In response, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on terror facilities inside Pakistan and eliminated the terrorists," he said.
He alleged that while the entire nation and the armed forces worked in unison to defend the country, some individuals tried to take personal credit.
"Had they served in the Army as a captain, colonel, or lieutenant colonel, we would have appreciated them for doing a great job and fighting for the country. But that is not the case," Kharge said, without directly naming anyone.
Kharge was in Raichur along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress ministers, and MLAs, where he laid the foundation stone for several projects and presided over the naming ceremony of Raichur University.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said Congress was the first to demand an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror strike.
"When the meetings were convened twice, the prime minister failed to attend on both occasions. I want to ask him why he did not attend".
He noted that leaders from Kanyakumari to Kashmir had left behind important engagements to attend the meeting, yet the PM chose not to attend despite being in the country.
"Instead, he was busy campaigning for the Bihar elections. What does that mean? While the country and soldiers were fighting on one side, the prime minister chose to campaign on the other, after inviting us to an all-party meeting. This is inappropriate," Kharge said.
He warned that such an attitude does not bode well.
"If you try to belittle the opposition, the leaders, people, and especially the youth of this country will not tolerate it," Kharge cautioned.
Kharge also took a dig at the PM for his failure to stop the USA from imposing retaliatory taxes.
"Modi was shouting the slogan 'Phir Ek Baar Trump Sarkar' (during the US elections). This great man said this in America, but Trump imposed hefty taxes on Indian goods. The PM did not speak a word on it," Kharge said.
The Congress chief reminded the prime minister that Iran had always supported India as the country imports 50 per cent of its fuel requirement from there.
"Now there is an armed conflict going on between Iran and Israel. We should have made attempts to stop it," the veteran Congress leader said.
Kharge said Modi's only loud slogan is that he is going to be the "Vishwa Guru".
"Whether you are Vishwa Guru or Guru at Home, what people want is petrol, diesel, food, clothes and roof over head. We wanted him to strive for these things...," the Congress chief said.
Kharge also alleged the saffronisation of education.
"Today the RSS syllabus is being taught in the universities, Morarji Desai residential schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas," he alleged.
The Congress leader also claimed that everywhere, the RSS people are getting postings for their children while others are struggling for survival.
He also stated that the Congress party's guarantees are being implemented effectively across the country.
"Some jealous leaders and political parties are trying to undermine our guarantees. But they will not succeed in their efforts," he said.
Kharge added that criticising and defaming welfare initiatives that have directly benefited women and other citizens will not impress the people.
He claimed that the way the Congress government is striving for social justice, the BJP cannot do it anywhere in the country.
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Here's how netizens, media outlets projected Ashwini Kumar's bomb threat as 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi'
Mumbai: Mumbai was thrown into panic late on Thursday night when police received a WhatsApp message warning of a large-scale terror attack during the Ganesh festival. The message, written in the name of a jihadi group called “Lashkar-e-Jihadi,” claimed that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered Mumbai with 400 kilograms of RDX loaded in 34 vehicles.
It warned of blasts that could kill as many as one crore people. Authorities immediately declared a high alert, and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch while the Anti-Terrorism Squad and other security agencies were put on standby.
Within hours, the threat made national headlines. Television channels and online portals reported the possibility of a terror strike, repeatedly linking the message to Pakistan-based groups.
The incident was projected as yet another attempt to destabilize Mumbai, and the supposed involvement of a jihadi outfit quickly gained traction across the media. However, a swift investigation by Mumbai Police traced the origin of the message to a very different source.
By Saturday, police had tracked down and arrested Ashwin Kumar Supra, a 50-year-old astrologer and Vastu consultant living in Sector 79 of Noida. Originally from Patna, Kumar admitted during interrogation that he had sent the message using the name of his former friend Firoz. In 2023, Firoz had lodged a fraud case against him at Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, leading to Kumar’s three-month imprisonment. Seeking revenge, Kumar attempted to frame Firoz by posing as a jihadi terrorist. Police recovered his mobile phone, SIM cards, and other digital devices used in the hoax.
When the threat first came to light, social media was flooded with heated reactions. Journalist @Manju_IBNews wrote, “Another election around the corner!” while user @kv_mcu posted an aggressive comment demanding to “ban Islam and burn the Quran,” calling for mass deportations and tying the incident to culture and religion. In response, @RIMMS51979 countered sharply, saying, “Caller Name is Ashvini kumar what will you burn now.” Another user, @Valkyrie00777, questioned the credibility of the threat, pointing to contradictions in the claim that 14 terrorists had entered India with 34 bombs and 400 kilograms of RDX. Meanwhile, @Liberal51601607 remarked, “Terrorists have no religion.. Anyone..?”
Fact-checkers also weighed in. @zoo_bear (Mohammed Zubair) accused NDTV of omitting crucial context, posting: “Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him.” The fact-check website Aazad Fact Check (@AazadFactCheck) published a detailed rebuttal, saying the story had quickly evolved into a propaganda tool. It noted that the supposed intelligence about “human bombs in vehicles” was technically flawed and described the entire sequence as “a pure example of Indian narrative building before a false flag operation.”
Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him. https://t.co/17nZxYOrql
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 6, 2025
After Ashwini Kumar’s arrest, the tone of the online conversation shifted sharply. Activist @ShabnamHashmi posted, “Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred. Stop the Hate factory! Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang.” Journalist @indscribe (Shams Ur Rehman Alavi) observed that newspapers splashed the initial threat on front pages but buried the arrest details inside. “When the guy gets caught, the same newspapers don't publish his photo, relegate it to page 14 or reduce it to a single column… Interest gone after ‘name’ found,” he wrote.
Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred
— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) September 6, 2025
Stop the Hate factory !
Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang pic.twitter.com/IzpLjWVJgu
Other users highlighted systemic and political angles. @shfique13 argued that there are now “two laws” in the country—one protecting those aligned with the government and another used to suppress truth-tellers. @SoodRajive claimed the episode was staged, alleging Kumar had been paid to frame a minority and calling it “a staged toolkit drama.” User @hussain2577 wrote sarcastically, “Such an innocent n bright person. Plzz grant him bail, Garland him, Give him BJP membership form.” Another account, @Sangliyana, remarked, “Risking his life just to frame a Muslim boy. This is what 11 years corrupting mind.” Finally, @rsbisht__ argued that Kumar’s only aim was to trap Firoz, linking it to what he described as rising hatred against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh under the Modi and Yogi administrations.
