Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
– Photo: PTI (File)
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All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday opposed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that Congress wants to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Kharge said that Amit Shah is spreading lies, no one in Congress said this. Kharge said that BJP wants to keep the issue of Article 370 in discussion to divide the society.
'Go to Kashmir and raise the issue of Article 370'
Addressing a press conference in Pune, Kharge said, Amit Shah accuses Congress of spreading lies in election rallies, but he himself is saying that Congress wants to bring back Article 370. Tell me, who said this and when? Why are you raising this issue? If it (the proposal to abrogate Article 370) had already been passed in Parliament, then why raise this issue now? It means you raise it just to create division in the society. If you have been told this, then go to Kashmir and say it. Elections are over in Kashmir.
Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019
Article 370 gave special status to Kashmir, which was abrogated by the BJP-led central government on August 5, 2019. Congress is in power in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the National Conference (NC). Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has passed a resolution demanding restoration of special status to the state from the Centre.
Counterattacked on BJP over the slogan 'If we divide then we will be cut'
Responding to the statement of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Kharge said that BJP leaders are saying that 'if divided, we will be divided'. Why is such a slogan being given? The country is united. Congress worked to keep the country united. (Former Prime Ministers) Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi gave their lives for this. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. Congress made sacrifices for this, but you (BJP) neither fought for the unity of the country, nor for the independence of the country, nor for the poor.
'Congress had made the provision of reservation in the Constitution'
Kharge also said that it was the Congress that had provided for reservation in the Constitution, as earlier Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Saheb Ambedkar had approved reservation in jobs and education for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. But BJP is still raising the issue of reservation. He alleged that the BJP is trying to pit India's big political leaders like Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel and Subhash Chandra Bose against each other. BJP says that Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to say this, but Nehru did it. Patel had said this and Bose had said this. When these people were alive, you were against the Constitution. You did not even keep the national flag in your office.
'Congress is ready to make every sacrifice for the unity of the country'
The Congress President also said that Congress wants to keep the country united and is ready to make any kind of sacrifice for this. He said that only five percent of the people in the country own 62 percent of the property, while 50 percent of the people own only three percent of the property. Instead of reducing this inequality, Modi ji is selling public sector companies to benefit his friends.
'Congress' trust is not on fraud, but on corruption'
He further said, if Congress and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi come to power in Maharashtra, they will fulfill the promises made in their manifesto. Give us power, we will give the budget. We work according to the budget. We do not believe in Khoke, but in Doke (thinking). We have brains and they have brains. He also claimed that Congress has successfully implemented the election promises in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of abusing the Congress and its senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
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