Punjab

Ludhiana (Punjab): Terming the suspension of three black laws as ‘Modi ki chaal hai’, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on February 11, 2024, said that the notification to cancel the laws is still awaited, adding that Congress will remove these laws if the Congress Party forms the government in 2024. A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is part of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, declared it would go solo in Punjab in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Congress, also a partner in INDIA bloc, said it would win across all the 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab.

Congress President’s statement comes after some farmer organisations have given a call to ‘Delhi Chalo protest’ to their supporters on February 13 for their demands of the law on MSP and others. They are likely to sit at the border of Delhi till their demands are met.

While addressing the Congress Workers Convention in Punjab, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Modi government has ruined farmers and soldiers in the last 10 years. “The farmer is sitting on the border of Delhi; no one talked to them. All three black laws have been suspended but the notification to cancel them has not yet come. The Modi government has done the work of breaking our farmers and youth, who were the backbone of the country. Shri Kharge alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to “eliminate farmers in a planned manner”, and a plan was ready to handover the country’s agriculture to a few corporates, but it was the struggle of farmers that saved farming. I congratulate the farmers of Punjab that they have again reached Delhi for their rights. Congress Party will remain associated with his movement. They (BJP) brought a law to hand over farmers’ land to big corporates. We fought to repeal these laws and will continue to fight in future too,” he said.

“If they (central government) do not repeal the three farm laws, our government will be formed in 2024 and we will remove these laws,” he added. Further, Shri Kharge said that the BJP government brought the ‘Agniveer Scheme’ for four years but at the same time cancelled the regular recruitment in the armed forces. “Farmers were called terrorists and agitators. Should such a party get votes in Punjab? BJP again brings ‘Agniveer scheme’ for 4 years. They cancelled the regular recruitment. There is a vacancy of 30 per cent in defence. Do you want ‘Agniveer’ or join the regular force? Whatever Modi ji is doing today, he is doing it against farmers and soldiers,” Shri Kharge said.

The Congress President further mentioned that the budget was also not spent completely on farmers. Out of that, Rs. 1 lakh crore was withdrawn. “Every day they abuse Rahul Gandhi and Congress. The person who travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and now from Manipur to Mumbai, how can you abuse him? Modi Ji’s face is there in every election. When you open the TV in the morning, you don’t see God but Modi ji. If you work for the poor, we will also appreciate you. But the poor in this country are becoming poorer,” he said. “When the White Paper was being discussed in Parliament, Modi ji praised our leader, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Everyone praises the work of Dr. Manmohan Singh. A lot of development took place during his time. Modi ji keeps saying that 80 crore people are being given free rations. Who brought this law? Smt. Sonia Gandhi introduced the Food Security Act. He (PM Modi) wants to take credit for everything. There was a 135 per cent increase in MSP from 2004 to 2014 under UPA. There has been only a 50 per cent increase in NDA from 2014 to 2023,” the Congress President said.

Slamming the BJP government, Shri Kharge said that the person who starts being worshipped in politics moves towards dictatorship. “This is democracy and everyone has to work together in this. Just saying Modi-Modi does not fill the stomach,” he said.

“Pandit Nehru said in 1952 that we are successful in general elections only where we have worked among the people. If we do not remain among the people, we cannot hope to win their trust. I tell the Congress workers that if we want to win, we will have to live among the people,” he added.

Karnataka

Modi will be a ‘dictator’ if elected to office again, says Shri Mallikarjun Kharge

Mangaluru: Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge on February 17, 2024, said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is elected to office again, he will become “a dictator” and there will not be any elections thereafter.

Addressing a State-level convention of the Congress leaders and elected representatives here, Shri Kharge said that the Congress was the only Party that could protect democracy as enshrined in the Constitution. Shri Kharge alleged that the Prime Minister wants to control every institution in the country and has been destroying their autonomous status one-by-one. He told Party cadres to ensure victory of the Congress candidates in the forthcoming elections, otherwise Mr. Modi would grow stronger. He was confident that the Party would win 20 seats in Karnataka this time, he said. Upon watching the success of Karnataka government’s five promises, Mr. Modi had begun releasing advertisements on “Modi guarantees”, he chided. In a sharp critique, Shri Kharge stated, “After witnessing the success of Karnataka’s five guarantees capturing people’s hearts, Modi is now awake. This is why we see ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ in newspapers daily.”

Congress President Shri Kharge alleged that none of Modi’s guarantees, including the promise of creating 2 crore jobs, Rs. 15 lakh for account holders, increasing income of farmers, increasing MSP, have been fulfilled. Mocking the nomenclature, he added, “We never called it ‘Siddaramaiah Guarantee,’ but ‘Congress Guarantee.’ Modi doesn’t say ‘BJP Guarantee,’ but ‘Modi Guarantee.’” Addressing workers’ convention, Shri Kharge accused the Prime Minister of failing to fulfil promises made to the people.

Criticising the Central government for “freezing” the bank accounts of the Congress and the Youth Congress, Shri Kharge said that it was an attempt to completely drown out the Congress. He alleged that BJP got money from electoral bonds from black money holders to whom the Central government returned favours.

Shri Kharge said that the Congress was the Party that got Independence for the country and brought all-round development by establishing public sector undertakings in different fields and opening institutes of higher education. The BJP, on the other hand, contributed nothing towards development, instead it was selling all the PSUs. Its promises of employment generation remained hollow, he said.

While the Lok Sabha poll manifesto of the Congress was under preparation, the Party had made a promise to provide legal status for minimum support price for farm produce, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said. He urged Party workers to ensure its victory in the LS polls for the development of the country and safeguarding democracy. Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister Shri D.K. Shivakumar, and other senior leaders were present.

Shri Kharge warns of democracy at risk, urges unity for 2024 elections

BIDAR: Congress President was addressing the felicitation organized by 17 different organisations and a few public representatives here to celebrate his 50 years of political life and the decennial celebration of bringing Amendment to Article 371 J of the Constitution for Kalyana Karnataka Region at Nehru Stadium in Bidar on February 20, 2024.

He said that during his recent meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, he enquired about the medicine he was using to attract opposition leaders towards NDA, to which PM Modi replied smiling, ‘If they were coming to us what should I do’.

In fact, the BJP, RSS and Modi were giving the tablets of threat of income tax and ED. Because of the fear, the big leaders of different parties, including the Congress, are quitting their Party and joining NDA though they enjoyed the power of Minister or Chief Minister, he observed.

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge seemed disturbed by the political development at the national level, which was openly seen in his speech.

AICC President cautioned the leaders and people to be alert as the future of democracy and the Indian Constitution is under threat. “It is necessary for us, who want to protect the democracy and Indian Constitution, to be united and face all threats and to get power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

He told people that voting for the Congress Party is not a favour to the Congress Party but a medium to save Democracy and the Indian Constitution. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge blamed BJP for mixing religion with politics. “If they preach the religion, they should do it in homes or temples, the religion should not be mixed with politics,” he said. “You can fool the people once or twice but you cannot fool the public always,” AICC President cautioned the Prime Minister.

Shri Kharge, who was born in Bidar district, said that though Gurmitkal Assembly constituency and Kalaburagi district gave a boost to his political life, Gurmitkal, Kalaburagi and Bidar districts had a special place in his heart. But whenever the welfare works are concerned, he and the former Chief Minister late Dharm Singh considered all 7 districts of Kalyana Karnataka Region alike and struggled for the development of the region.

He contested for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 only after getting assurance from Smt. Sonia Gandhi that if the Congress Party came back to power, it would amend Article 371 J of the Constitution.

“We took much trouble for bringing the Amendment to article 371 J. Smt. Sonia Gandhi herself spoke with leaders of many political parties to get the amendment passed unanimously in the Parliament,” he recalled.

“If you have any love towards me or gratitude towards Congress Party for getting the benefits of amendment to Article 371 J, and if you want to keep the Democracy and Indian Constitution alive, the People of Kalyana Karnataka Region should elect all the candidates of Congress Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections,” said Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge. Working President of KPCC Eshwar Khandre who is also Bidar district in-charge Minister, Minister Rahim Khan, former minister Rajashekhar Patil and others were also present.

Andhra Pradesh

Promising Rs. 5,000 a month for poor, Kharge Ji kicks off Andhra poll campaign

Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh): Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge kicked off the Party’s election campaign for Andhra Pradesh at Anantapur on February 26, 2024 — even before the poll dates have been declared — promising to dole out Rs. 5,000 every month for eligible poor households.

Shri Kharge termed the monthly dole a ‘Congress guarantee’ and a poll promise greater than the five ‘guarantees’ being fulfilled in Karnataka and the six being implemented in Telangana. “This is not a promise, this is a guarantee. Like no other state in India, we are giving a promise for the poor. Every poor family will get Rs. 5,000 per month into their accounts,” Kharge Ji said, addressing the Party’s first election campaign meeting, switching between English and Kannada, as the region has a significant Kannadiga minority and borders Karnataka.

Stating that Congress leaders feel “emotional and anguished” whenever Andhra Pradesh comes to their mind, Shri Kharge asserted that the “state is close to their heart”. Recalling that Anantapur district had produced two former Presidents of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and N Sanjiva Reddy, and that the formerly undivided Andhra Pradesh had given former Prime Minister Late PV Narasimha Rao and former Chief Minister Late YS Rajasekhara Reddy to the country, the Congress President reminded the people that Medak Lok Sabha constituency had elected Indira Gandhi as an MP as well.

Congress President called on all the Congress Party leaders to empower Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Smt. YS Sharmila, the daughter of Rajasekhara Reddy, and bring glory to the ‘Grand Old Party’ in the state.

Launching a broadside at the regional parties in Andhra Pradesh, Kharge Ji slammed Chief Minister and YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan, saying they have “pawned” Andhra Pradesh to Modi because they are allegedly afraid of him.

Smt. Sharmila, on the other hand, is not afraid of Modi, he asserted, saying “nobody should underestimate the Congress Party”. Highlighting the deprivation of funds and special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge targeted Jagan Reddy and Kalyana for gravitating towards Modi and the BJP, without questioning these things.

Calling on the people to vote for the Congress to save their rights and protect the Constitution, Congress President also encouraged Party workers to be strong and work diligently, from the booth level to the state level, to win the upcoming polls.