Thiruvananthapuram: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing a press conference in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was afraid of invisible voters and that's why he is always criticizing the Congress party.
"I came here to participate in the election program...We are getting very good responses from the voters here but PM Modi is afraid of these 'invisible' voters who will come out in the elections. That's why PM Modi is always criticizing Congress," he told reporters."If the Congress is nothing, why is PM Modi bothered about the Congress," Kharge asked.
Raising questions about BJP's 'Abki Baar, 400 Paar' slogan, Kharge asked, "If you (PM Modi) are confident about the party's goal of reaching 400 plus seats in the election then why are you taking corrupt people into your party?... When these people are in Congress or any other political parties they are very corrupt..."
Hitting out at PM Modi over corruption, Kharge claimed that the party purchased 444 MLAs. "On one side, you say that Modi never tolerates corruption, and then you purchase nearly 444 MLAs from across the country, irrespective of parties to which they belong. Several politicians and contractors get clean chit after joining the BJP but when they were with Congress, they were the most corrupt leaders," Mallikarjun Kharge said.
"I am unable to understand that the man who ruled the country for 10 years as Prime Minister and nearly 13.5 years as Chief Minister, he is not able to distinguish what is corruption, who is good, who is bad... Then I can say that it is unfortunate for the country that such a man is ruling," he further said.
Criticizing PM Modi over his job promises, the Congress President said, "PM Modi is acting like a petty politician. He has forgotten everything whatever he had promised in the 2019 elections. He had promised to provide two crore jobs every year to youths. Where are two crores jobs..."
He further said, "Kerala is the most literate state in the country... People here are more politically aware and politically intelligent than in Gujarat or other states but still, he comes here and speaks lies. He said to give Rs 15 lakhs to every family and will bring back the black money that Congress has kept outside. Where is that money? ...In the next election, he said that I would double the income of farmers. Where is the double income of farmers?... Now he is again saying Modi's guarantee...What is Modi's guarantee? Modi's guarantee has failed.
Modi's guarantees mean he will not fulfil the promises he is making...This is Modi's guarantee..." "The main thing we are fighting is unemployment... Inflation is so high. He said 'Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas', but he did 'Sab Ka Satyanash'. Look at petrol and diesel prices," Kharge said at the press conference.
Expressing confidence in winning the Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said, "We will win 20 seats here. Our party leader has not divided the people on religion...they talked about the work they have done whereas PM Modi always talked about religion..."
All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 26. The counting will be held on June 4. Notably, the campaigning for phase 2 of the Lok Sabha polls will end on April 26.