AICC president Kharge terms PM 'terrorist', clarifies Modi terrorises parties

CHENNAI: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, during a press meet on Tuesday, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "terrorist" and later clarified that the PM was terrorising other political parties with the alleged misuse of central agencies against the opposition.

He also asserted that there is no rift in the DMK-Congress alliance despite separate campaign schedules of Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Addressing reporters in the city, Kharge said his "terrorist" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi was made in that context and was not personal.

"The ED, CBI and IT are being used to threaten opposition parties. Based on that, I made the remark. It was not personal," he clarified.

He also alleged that the Election Commission was functioning like an "extended arm" of the BJP and criticised the PM for releasing video messages during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

On the Bill for women's quota, Kharge accused the BJP of misleading the public. He said the bill passed in Parliament in 2023 was later linked to delimitation efforts, which the opposition opposed. "Now the Prime Minister claims that the opposition blocked the bill, which is false," he said, questioning the intent behind introducing such measures without adequate consensus.

Kharge further alleged that attempts were made to introduce delimitation during election periods in states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, but failed due to resistance from southern states. He accused the BJP of trying to divide the country along North-South lines and "punish developed states."

Targeting the AIADMK, Kharge questioned its alliance with the BJP. "How can a party named after Anna align with the BJP? If it truly followed Anna's ideology, it would not have allied with Modi," he said.

On alliance dynamics, Kharge dismissed speculation of any rift between the DMK and Congress. He said Rahul Gandhi and Stalin could not campaign together due to "circumstantial reasons" and urged that it should not be exaggerated. "We are contesting together and will win together," he asserted.

Responding to a question on Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty's reported meeting with actor Vijay, with the guidance of the Congress high Command, Kharge said he was unaware of any such approval. "I am the Congress president. He has not met me. How could there be leadership approval?" he questioned.

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal also maintained that there were no issues in the DMK alliance and expressed confidence in victory, saying, "Wait until May 4."

AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar and TNCC president Selvaperunthagai were among those present at the press interaction.