Kharge writes another letter to PM Modi: ‘there is a lot of desperation and worry in you’

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to the BJP’s candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the language in his letter to the candidates “does not suit the office of the Prime Minister”.

In his personalised letters, PM Modi asked BJP candidates to talk to voters about the “divisive” and “discriminatory” intention of the Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc to “snatch” the SC, ST and OBC reservation and give it to “their vote bank” even though granting “reservation on religious grounds is unconstitutional”.

Mallikarjun Kharge, in his second letter to PM Modi, said voters are “intelligent enough to read and understand by themselves what the Congress has written in its manifesto and what Guarantees we have promised”.

“From the tone and content of the letter, it seems that there is a lot of desperation and worry in you which is leading you to use language that does not suit the office of the Prime Minister. The letter makes it look like the lies in your speeches are not having the effect you intended and now you want your candidates to amplify your lies. Repeating a lie a thousand times will not make it the truth,” read the letter by Kharge.

“… Our guarantees are so simple and clear, that we don’t have to explain it to them,” he said.

On April 25, Kharge wrote to PM Modi saying he had been “misinformed on the Congress Nyay Patra” and also sought a meeting with him “in person to explain him our Manifesto, so that he doesn’t make any false statements in future”.

Explanation of Congress guarantees, reservation issue

The Congress chief then went on to explain his party’s “guarantees” under different heads. “Yuva Nyay – We assure jobs to the youth of this country who are suffering from the worst unemployment due to your policies. Congress assures the youth – Pehli Naukri Pakki. Nari Nyay – to empower the women and girls of our country who are seeing unprecedented harassment from your leaders and their mindset. Kisan Nyay – to empower the farmers who were shot and beaten for asking for their rightful price. Shramik Nyay – to empower the labour and workers who are suffering from increasing inflation and increasing income disparity due to the policies of your suit-boot ki sarkar. Hissedari Nyay – to empower the poor who should get their right and nothing less. Our guarantee is Nyay to all,” he wrote.

Kharge also issued a rebuttal of the issue of reservation raised by the Prime Minister. “In your letter, you claim that reservation will be taken away from SC, ST and OBC and given to ‘our votebank’. Our vote bank is every Indian – the poor, the marginalised, the women, the aspirational youth, the labour class, the Dalits and the Adivasis. Everyone knows it is the RSS and BJP who opposed reservations at every stage since 1947. Everyone knows it is the RSS and BJP which wants to change the Constitution to end reservation. Your leaders have openly spoken about it. You need to clarify why you are opposed to reservation to SC, ST and OBCs on the basis of their population as per Article 16 of our Constitution.”

The Congress president also hit out at PM Modi over his allegations of “wealth redistribution” policies that the Congress would bring in if it is voted to power. “In your letter, you have said people’s hard-earned money will be snatched and given away. I would like to take this opportunity to request you to direct your party to return the Rs 10 crore that were swindled from the poor Dalit farmers in Gujarat and given as electoral bonds to BJP. Your party amassed Rs 8,250 crore through the ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ Electoral Bonds from various companies using Chanda Do-Dhanda Lo, Theka Lo-Ghoos Do, Hafta Vasooli and Farzi company routes and schemes. Out of the 8,250 crore, you can return at least Rs 10 crore to this Dalit family.”

“Your letter lies that Congress wants to bring Inheritance Tax when it is your former Finance Minister and your party leaders who have repeatedly mentioned they want Inheritance Tax. People can see these speeches and comments of your leaders online,” Kharge’s letter said.

‘Poor have been burnt by your policies’

The Congress president said the Prime Minister’s letter shows he is “worried by the low turnout of voters in the first two phases of the elections. “It shows people are not enthusiastic about your policies or your campaign speeches. This is not because of the summer heat, but because the poor have been burnt by your policies. You have appealed to your karyakartas to mobilise voters in the name of religion. If the voters are not keen to vote for you, do not blame your karyakartas,” Kharge wrote.

Kharge said the Congress manifesto “speaks of Nyay and how we will bring growth for all sections of the society”. “It is better as the Prime Minister if you seek votes on the performance of your government over the last ten years instead of indulging in hate speeches. The Congress Party would like to challenge you or anyone you depute to debate with us on our manifesto and the points you have made,” Kharge wrote in his letter.

Also targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kharge said they know Shah says that “Congress is practising appeasement politics”. “The only appeasement policy that we have seen in the last 10 years is the appeasement of Chinese by you and your ministers. Even today, you refuse to call China as ‘Ghuspaithiye’, instead on June 19, 2020, you said “Na Koi Ghusa Hai, Na Hi Koi Ghus Aaya hai”, insulting the supreme sacrifice of 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan. Your public ‘Clean Chit’ to China, has weakened India’s case and made it more belligerent,” he said.

The Congress president also talked about his previous letter to PM Modi. Kharge said he wrote in his last letter, “… when the elections are over, people will only remember you as the Prime Minister who indulged in divisive and communal speeches filled with lies to avoid an inevitable defeat”.

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