Kharge downplays joint campaign talk
All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged people not to make an issue of Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi not campaigning alongside Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Kharge said the absence of a joint campaign was due to Rahul Gandhi’s campaign plan and prevailing circumstances in the state. He maintained that the matter should not be blown out of proportion.
Kharge also took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the women’s reservation bill, questioning why the government brought in bills despite knowing it did not have the required two-thirds majority. He alleged the ruling party was trying to divert attention by linking delimitation with women’s reservation.
He further accused the BJP of dividing the country along North–South lines and of using agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Income Tax Department to intimidate opposition parties. Referring to his earlier “Modi is a terrorist” remark, Kharge said it was not a personal comment but made in that context.
On reports that Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty met actor-turned-politician Vijay with the party leadership’s approval, Kharge said Chakravarty had not met him, and questioned how such approval could have been obtained.
