New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of making efforts to disrupt the unity of the nation. Speaking at a public event in the national capital, Kharge said that the BJP was sowing division among communities. He said, “They are leaving no stone unturned to create rifts, whether it’s between religions or castes. They elevate one caste in a golden room while suppressing another.”
Kharge further said that the prime minister was favouring one caste of the Muslim community by offering incentives, neglecting the common people in the process. “They despise the common man and are leaving them behind. Our battle is against this hatred and political power is key to fighting it,” Kharge said.
Congress accuses BJP of bias
The Congress leader also referred to Dr BR Ambedkar and highlighted how the constitution, through the political empowerment it granted, enabled common citizens to hold positions such as MLAs, MPs and IAS/IPS officers. The Congress party has consistently criticised the BJP for being anti-people and discriminatory toward minorities, a charge that the ruling party has denied.
Congress setback in Maharashtra polls
Kharge’s remarks follow Congress’s poor performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, where the party secured just 16 out of 288 seats. Its alliance partners, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, also had disappointing results, winning 20 and 10 seats respectively.
In contrast, the BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance achieved a commanding victory, securing 233 seats in total—132 for the BJP, 57 for Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and 41 for the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The Congress now faces another major challenge in Delhi, where the party currently has no representation in the Legislative Assembly ahead of the elections early next year.
