Idukki (Kerala): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunda y sparked controversy during an Assembly poll rally here by calling people of Gujarat “illiterate” and alleging they were being “fooled” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kharge, however, said the people of Kerala were “very clever and educated” and could not be misled. “Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala,” he said.
The Congress chief alleged that the BJP and the ruling LDF were working in tandem to target the Congress. “LDF and BJP are going forward together and attacking the Congress. Modi in Delhi and Vijayan in Kerala have the same style of functioning. They want to keep power centralised in their own hands,” he said.
Kharge claimed that there was little difference between the two leaders apart from the parties they represent. “I have heard people say that Pinarayi Vijayan is Kerala’s Modi and that BJP and LDF have secretly plotted to keep Congress away from power,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister was not functioning independently.
He also described the BJP as a “communal party” and accused it and the RSS of harming the country’s unity. “I condemn their attitude and their ideology,” he said.
Targeting Modi, Kharge called him a “liar” and said he had failed to fulfil his promise of providing two crore jobs annually. “He has been in power for 12 years. Has he provided the jobs?” Kharge asked.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s “56-inch chest” remark, Kharge said such claims were meaningless. “Go and tell the tailor, he will properly stitch a jacket for you,” he said.
He further alleged that people were suffering due to inflation, unemployment and lack of LPG. Kerala will go to the polls on April 9 for 140 seats.
