NEW DELHI: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the BJP-RSS of spreading hatred, dividing people and disturbing peace in the country, and said the Congress, which is “opening 'mohabbat ki dukaan',” wants to maintain peace and unity in society.
Addressing party leaders and workers after unfurling the national flag at the party headquarters at Indira Bhawan, Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking credit for everything the Congress did after Independence by changing names of schemes, and feared that one day he might also try to bring our national flag down.
He said Independence Day is not merely a day to commemorate the freedom struggle but also an opportunity for introspection on the extent to which India realised the dreams of our freedom fighters.
The 80th Independence Day function was attended by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and several other senior party leaders.
Kharge said the Congress’ tradition has always been that each of its prime ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, advanced India according to the challenges of their time and laid the foundation for a future India.
“But today the question is, what is happening to those young people whom we showed the dream of standing tall with pride in the 21st century?
"Today, the dreams of the youth are being crushed. The government's wrong policies have pushed them into such a dark alley that youth 'andolans' are taking place across the country.
“We stand with these youth and support them. We are not silent and have always supported good work. Our task is to take the youth, poor and oppressed forward,” he said.
The Constitution has given citizens the right to protest peacefully, and coming out on the streets for one's rights is not anti-national, he said.
“The Gen Z raising their voice for their rights are not traitors. The rights for which our youth went to the gallows under British rule, we must still protect those today. It is our responsibility,” Kharge said.
He claimed that hate campaigns were being run against those who protested against the Modi government, and that is why Rahul Gandhi had said: “We will not hate anyone and will embrace everyone and open 'mohabbat ki dukaan'.”
Kharge said Congress wants peace and unity in the country.
“Only when there is peace in the country will there be prosperity, but the Modi government only knows how to spread hatred.
“We all have to work together to achieve peace. But the BJP and RSS people and today's government want to disturb this peace, and that is why people are being kept away by creating hatred in society.
"The BJP people worked against the country even before Independence and are doing so even today. They continue to work against the country by working to divide Hindus and Muslims, keeping the untouchables away and crushing the poor. Their policy is to make the rich richer and the poor poorer,” Kharge said.
On the prime minister’s Independence Day speech, Kharge claimed the Congress did everything, but today he (Modi) claimed from the Red Fort that they did everything.
“Thankfully, he did not claim that he created the world. Had someone given him advice or written in his speech, he would have said that the world has been saved because of him,” Kharge said.
He claimed that whatever development one sees in the country today, the Congress had executed it and 90 per cent of the work was done without any change of names.
“We have not changed names; we have changed people's lives,” Kharge said.
On the Ram temple donations embezzlement row, he said questions are being raised about places of faith, including temples, as Modi had done everything, from setting up the trust to the consecration himself.
“We don't want to criticise him on Independence Day, but the person set up the trust and nominated his people and did the consecration ceremony without taking any saints along – only to take credit. Had he been a true patriot, he should have done this work while taking along the religious people and 'Rambhakts', but he did everything on his own.
"A time will come when this same person will also try to bring our national flag down,” Kharge claimed, alleging that even Rs 50 donated with devotion by the poor is not safe now.
He hoped action would be taken against those behind the donations theft.
On the stalemate in Parliament, Kharge asked if it was correct in a democracy that the prime minister did not even answer their questions in the House even when Rahul Gandhi and he himself raised questions about brutality on protesting students.
“The question is: Did the public send you to sit in your chamber? They have the habit of speaking lies, and they spoke this lie that Parliament did not function and that's why they did not come,” he said.
Kharge also alleged that there was "interference" in the Election Commission, judiciary, universities, investigating agencies, and the media, and that is why public trust had been shaken.
He claimed that prominent scientists and experts from scientific institutions like ISRO and DRDO are being forced to resign as the BJP wants people aligned with their ideology to be appointed in those positions.