New Delhi: A political row erupted between BJP and Congress over the treatment of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s nomination filing in Wayanad. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal responded to BJP’s accusations, stating that Kharge was indeed present at the event.
Venugopal clarified that while Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had to briefly wait outside due to locked doors, Kharge was there throughout, dismissing BJP’s statements as “spreading lies” and “targeting” Kharge.
What BJP leaders said
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he has “witnessed such incidents many times.” He praised Kharge as a “big leader” in Karnataka, emphasising that, despite political differences, the BJP respects Kharge. “We respect him. Even though he is in Congress, he is our leader,” Bommai said.
BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan criticised Congress, calling Kharge’s alleged treatment by his party “appalling” and a sign of “disdain” toward a senior Dalit leader. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Congress of treating Dalits as “third-class citizens,” claiming that “inside Congress, Dalits are insulted.”
What was the incident?
The incident happened on Wednesday when Priyanka Gandhi filed her nomination papers at the district collector’s office in Kalpetta after a roadshow alongside Rahul Gandhi. The bypoll for the Wayanad seat, which Rahul Gandhi vacated after retaining the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, is scheduled for November 13.
Bommai also criticised Karnataka Congress government, calling it “anti-people, non-performing, and corrupt.” He said that the public remembers BJP’s governance as a period of “development and social justice” and expressed confidence that the NDA would win all three seats in the upcoming bypolls.
